Finding love with IBS

Thank you! Those articles are quite interesting. Thanks for sharing them with me.

This is a great point! There are so many people out there who are affected in some capacity by it, you may find yourself meeting someone who is in the same boat! IBS can be incredibly isolating, but everyone is worthy of finding love. Thank you for sharing this! ~Michaela (irritablebowelsyndrome.net Team Member)

i had an attachment with a bloke from abroad so could only meet once or twice a year. I always fasted when I saw him as I couldn’t risk an attack. This lasted fifty one years until he died. He never knew about my diarrhoea. For all I know, he might have had the same problem.

first off thank you for opening up about this topic. Difficulty finding healthy relationships is not usually a common topic when talking about IBS, but it affects nearly every single one of us dealing with the illness. Dating with IBS can be a frustrating experience, but it is totally doable when you find the right person. As mentioned there are actually quite a lot of people (at least in the US to my knowledge) that struggle with digestive issues to one degree or another.


I felt the same way you did for a long time when I was younger until I met my eventual spouse. As you mentioned in your post, I too would find it difficult to go out to a restaurant to eat, only to feel nauseous most of the time and super anxious that I might have a flare-up in the middle of the date. My conversations were nearly non existent (I’m a big introvert too) and I would normally just force down a few bites here and there. I dated a few individuals over the course of a year and never mentioned anything about my digestive issues because in my mind I felt embarrassed about it. I couldn’t go on any adventures with friends or the people I was dating because I thought I always needed to be 10 feet away from a bathroom 24 hours a day. I met my wife when I was 18 (didn’t start dating until I was 17) and in my prime dating years. I finally gathered up the courage to tell her about my IBS issues on our third date, and I was nervous as hell! As soon as I told her she looked at me and said “Oh really? Yeah my dad has that too.” My mind was blown in that moment since at that time I had never even met another person who had IBS or openly talked about it. She proceeded to make light of the situation and I instantly felt comfortable with her, and we’ve now been together for the past 15 years. It was a complete shock to me to be able to find someone that I could openly discuss my bowel movements with, but later on in life I learned that everyone is dealing with their own issues, and I mean everyone. It may take some time to find the right person, but when you do, lock them down (figuratively of course).


You’ll grow and learn with each new person you date, but I promise you there are people out there who will be compassionate and sympathetic to your situation. If the person you are dating is not accommodating for your IBS issues, then they are not worth your time. Be open and honest about some of the limitations you have with activities and food choices (maybe even on the first date to test the waters early) and those who respect your list of do’s and don’ts will be well worth the life experience.

Thank you! That's a lot of good advice 😀 I really try to open up about my issues early to know how they react, but it is tough sometimes. I'm really nervous before want to tell them and that makes my IBS worse, but I know it's better to tell them than trying to keep it a secret. Again thank you for your comment 😀

Hi, your comment is very uplifting. Thank you! I try to keep dating until I find the right person, but sometimes it stresses me out and worsens my symptoms. I'm being patient though 😀