How Do Childhood Bowel Habits Impact Adult IBS?

As a pelvic floor therapist, I've learned that when patients come in with a bowel issue, there is often a trigger from their past contributing to their present-day symptoms. For many people, that trigger occurred in childhood, just as the nervous system was developing.

Below, we'll discuss research that supports the idea that childhood bowel issues and childhood trauma can shape how a person poops today.^1,2

IBS impacts much more than the digestive system

We know IBS isn’t solely a digestive issue; rather, it's a condition which reacts to how our nervous systems perceive the world around us.

If we perceive threat in our immediate environment, our IBS symptoms can flare up. If we perceived stress in our childhood environment - and this altered our bowel habits as our nervous systems were wiring themselves as kids - we may see IBS patterns that extend into our lives today.

Can childhood constipation impact symptoms in adulthood?

In a study performed in 2016, it was found that roughly one-third of people who experienced constipation as a child remain constipated in adulthood. These same adults with constipation reported a lower quality of life and increased bodily pain scores.

Furthermore, this impacted their social-emotional and physical health. The study subjects also reported difficulty in social situations and had challenges with intimacy due to their bowel disorder.¹

What types of childhood trauma impact adult IBS?

Another research study looked for a correlation between childhood trauma and IBS.

This study revealed a strong link between sexual trauma and bowel disorders that extended into adulthood. The link between physical and emotional abuse and developing IBS was less linear.

However, this study discussed what happens to the brain of a child when they endure trauma. There are much higher levels of norepinephrine and much lower levels of serotonin in this cohort. These brain chemicals are essential to regulate our emotional states, with serotonin playing an enormous role in gut health.²

If a child living through something traumatizing has altered brain chemistry, this can alter bowel habits and set the stage for issues later in life.

Why should this matter to adults living with IBS?

We can learn a lot from this information, but here are the 3 main takeaways.

1. By identifying childhood patterns, adults can change the current "script" in their heads

First, it is important to look at how bowel habits were established in childhood. If the messaging from a parent surrounding pooping was not ideal, this can result in struggles that persist as we get older.

When people delve into these conversations, they are often able to identify something that was hidden and forgotten. Once they recall and discuss such memories, they can see firsthand what the nervous system interpreted as a kid and how they can now change the script in their heads around pooping.

2. Bowel issues impact our entire lives

Second, we now know that bowel issues have far reaching spillover effects on the rest of our lives. The study in 2016 showed how having constipation in childhood resulted in higher bodily pain scores as people got older.

But the findings didn’t end there – these same people reported difficulty in social situations and avoidance of intimacy because of constipation. Both physical and emotional well-being were impacted by IBS.

3. Situations from the past can help us put some of the "puzzle pieces" together

Third, and most important, is that we are talking about a daily function that we must perform. There is no way around it! What triggers arose in childhood which continue to plague us today?

As a simple example, I have always had a phobia of bugs. My family camped and vacationed in cabins when I was a kid and I recall not pooping during these entire vacations because I saw so many insects. In my twenties, I lived in an apartment in New York with huge cockroaches, and the same thing happened.

When I moved to tropical Florida in my forties, I finally addressed this deep fear of bugs and learned how to maintain a relaxed nervous system.

A calm nervous system can help regulate IBS symptoms

A calm nervous system helps us all to poop better. When we become aware of our triggers and fears, many of which arose when we were kids, we can have healthier and more regular bowel movements.

Even if our nervous systems were on edge when we were growing up, we can change the narrative. As adults, we can acknowledge our past and make changes for ourselves today.

In the words of Bob Marley, “In this great future, you can’t forget your past, so dry your tears, I say."