irritable bowel syndrome in women undergoing hysterectomy and tubular ligation

aim : the aim of this study was to assess the incidence of irritable bowel syndrome in women undergoing hysterectomy and tubular ligation. background : the results of previous studies have shown an increased incidence of irritable bowel syndrome after gynecological surgeries. patients and methods : participants were patients of alzahra and taleghani university hospitals in tabriz. one hundred and seventy two women without gastrointestinal symptoms or a diagnosis of the irritable bowel syndrome underwent tubular ligation and 164 women underwent hysterectomy. patients were assessed every 3 month after hysterectomy and tubular ligation for 12 months. irritable bowel syndrome was diagnosed by a questionnaire based on rome ii criteria. results : during 12 months after surgeries, 19 (11%) patients in tubular ligation group and 19 (11%) in hysterectomy group had abdominal pain with at least two symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome. irritable bowel syndrome was diagnosed in 9 (5%) patients in the tubular ligation and 13 (8%) patients in hysterectomy groups (p>0.05). in both studied groups, the most prevalent symptoms along with abdominal pain were chronic constipation and abnormal bowel movement and the least prevalent were diarrhea and passage of mucus. conclusion : these results suggest that gynecological surgeries (tubular ligation and hysterectomy) may predispose to the development of the irritable bowel syndrome.