[TanaG]

Ok so I am very scared. I don't know if anybody read my older posts but at some point I was saying that my boyfriend had developed IBS symptoms too. In addition to that now my mum has them! I am not sure what to think. I've tried to think of general causes that might have affected all of us but nothing comes to mind. I know my family does have a a history of GI problems: grandmother has chronic constipation (going out every 2 weeks for her whole life!), my father has colitis and hemorrhoids, my aunt is chronically constipated too, my mum now seems to be having it (diarrhea, nausea and vomiting despite all tests coming back OK)....but where does my boyfriend come into all this? I am scared and I don't know what to do....it feels like we're cursed with not having normal BM's LOL. I have almost all the same problems like my father has...plenty of farts (how embarrassing is that?) and D more often than the rest of the people and already a small hemorrhoid showing its presence once or twice a year. As I said, am trying to think of things we all have in common but I cannot come up with anything....we live in different cities, we don't eat the same food...what the hell is happening I don't understand. If in my family I can blame the whole thing on unfortunate genetics I cannot see how my boyfriend would get it by empathy!

 

[Jeffrey Roberts]

I'm sorry I haven't read your older posts.There is a genetic link for families who carry gene(s) related to Inflammatory Bowel Disease; however, the genetic link for IBS is not yet well defined. There are a few research studies which show that IBS can be inherited; however, the inheritance maybe more related to environmental factors than genes.Certainly with a family history like you have described there could be some factors which contribute to all the GI problems. Sometimes we will look for factors which support what our theory is, that is that there must be a genetic link in a family because everyone suffers from the same illness. However, it could just be a coincidence with symptoms which seem like the same illness, but unless diagnosed by physicians, they may actually be different illnesses.I understand your concern. I received a note from an old friend recently who was planning to start a family and wanted to know about the genetic risk for IBS. I said to him that in the off chance that their child started showing symptoms that new treatments would likely be available.Jeff