I'd say both for me. My first full-on IBS attack happened mainly because of stress, but I think it'd been brewing for a while waiting for a trigger. Then I spent a few years in a stress spiral because I was undiagnosed, and that made it worse, along with it just progressing over time. It's also been my experience that every time I get sick with something, my overall health gets worse, including my stomach. But I also just randomly have flares for no apparent reason, and my food intolerances change like the weather. Literally overnight I can go from being able to eat something to having a horrible reaction. IBS is fun like that, it likes to keep you on your toes lol

I've had issues my entire life

I developed it after a syncope episode, along with panic/anixety

My IBS, and this is my fifteenth year? I feel I got an infection on my gut, which was H. Pylori, and then I had a terrible car accident where a car literally flew on top of me? Then two years in, I was diagnosed with IBS. So I believe in trauma , and sometimes viruses or illnesses can bring it on. In recent polls they are talking about people who contracted COVID and now have post irritable bowel syndrome due to a viral infection. And it could last for months and years. Mine never went away! I still deal with it after all these years! But I know what my triggers and flares are? And I don’t do them. Some times it’s out of my control, illness. stress or lack of sleep can bring it on.

It’s a bit of both factors for me. I’ve had undiagnosed IBS since I was little. We just always knew I had a sensitive stomach that got upset a lot. In my mid-20s I had a c.diff infection from antibiotic use, which caused my IBS to worsen significantly, and I was officially diagnosed with post-infectious IBS. For a few years it was so severe I had difficulty working/traveling/eating/etc, but thankfully now it’s back to almost my normal moderate level, I think because of both my management efforts and time. Post-infectious IBS can go away for some people, and for others it can be permanent.

Hey 👋🏼 my story is the slowly developing kind but I also feel like the various stomach flus and viruses i’ve had when I traveled to new places must have compounded and compromised my gut health. It started with developing a gluten intolerance when I was 16 and then it became dairy too and now everything bothers my stomach (10 yrs later) and I’m constantly bloated. I’ve tried antibiotics and antifungals and probiotics and whatnot but nothing did the trick. I definitely sympathize with your situation of not being able to eat anything. I usually just try to be ok with being bloated and wear comfy clothes if I can and bring my own food when I travel - and watch airplane / airport germs for sure! I even got sick wearing a mask lol. What I would give to eat like I did when I was a kid!! Pizza and ice cream back to back - pure heaven 😋

It didn't start after a life event or virus anything, but it did come on suddenly. It came on with a bout of severe constipation that lasted 2 weeks. That was 5 years ago and I haven't been the same since. I've never had a meal that didn't cause problems since ever

It's weird you have that connection cause I now realize I resonate with that. It started when my family lived in this terrible small town full of people that didn't like us. We didn't have a lot of money. And I was constantly bullied in school. Home life wasn't that great. I can see now that could've been one cause.

i had sibo(small intestine bacterial overgrowth) and was treated with antibiotics. still having stomach problems and they say now it is ibs, but it feels the same as when it was sibo. i’m going on antibiotics again to knock it out hopefully this time. i’ve read that sometimes sibo is misdiagnosed for ibs

It can happen either way? I have had it all my life... It kinda flares up... 💕