It’s IBS Awareness Month. And It Matters More Than You Think.
Gemma Stuart
It’s IBS Awareness Month. And It Matters More Than You Think.
Gemma Stuart, MSc Founder, Gut Wealth
Gemma Stuart, MSc, is the founder of Gut Wealth and a member of the GI Institute. A graduate of the University of Michigan's IBS Management programme, she is a regularly published gut health writer in The Times, Women's Health, BBC Radio and others, and serves as Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh.
What IBS Awareness Month is really about
You maybe don't know this but April marks IBS Awareness Month. It's meant to be a global moment dedicated educating and awareness of a condition that affects millions of people, yet the condition is still massively misunderstood.
We're gearing up for World IBS Day on 19 April – a day for conversations, campaigns and communities to come together to recognise that IBS is very real, very common and that people deserve better support.
IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome) impacts how people feel in their bodies every single day - from bloating and pain to urgency, constipation, diarrhoea and everything in between.
But what often impacts people just as much? The silence and awkwardness around bums, tums, loos and poos.
Why IBS awareness month actually matters
Awareness months aren’t just “nice to have.” If done right, they create a moment of momentum where people finally recognise their symptoms, conversations start (even the uncomfortable ones), more people seek help earlier and where stigma starts to break down.
For a condition like IBS - where embarrassment can stop people from speaking up and advocating for themselves - that shift can be huge.
Because when people feel able to talk about what’s going on, and have the language to do it, they stop feeling like they’re the only one dealing with it.
Let’s not forget, GPs spend about 10% of their time on gut related conditions and IBS is the most common, so you’re not alone, even though it might feel like it when you’re rushing to the loo.
Who’s driving IBS awareness?
This is the great thing about this awareness month. There isn’t one single organisation - it’s a collective effort across charities, patient groups and global health bodies.
Some of the key organisations leading the charge include:
- Guts UK - funding research and pushing national awareness
- International Foundation for Gastrointestinal Disorders - the organisation that established IBS Awareness Month
- World Gastroenterology Organisation - promoting digestive health worldwide
So while there’s movement around this, the key bit I think is important is that IBS awareness can be driven by people sharing their experiences too.
We’re so fortunate that Tom and Rhiannon have kindly shared their experiences and how Gut Wealth has supported them.
Campaigns that are actually shifting the conversation
Awareness has come a long way, yes, and it’s no longer just leaflets and posters.
Some of the most impactful campaigns have focused on making the invisible visible:
- Patient-led storytelling campaigns like #ThisIsIBS
- Workplace awareness initiatives helping employers understand IBS properly
- Global activity around World IBS Day — including sharing stories, lighting landmarks, and amplifying voices
- Social media movements normalising conversations about gut symptoms
And the biggest shift? Well, people are starting to talk about bowel health openly. Which, for something that affects millions, is long overdue.
What we’re doing at Gut Wealth in 2026
At Gut Wealth, we believe awareness should lead to action.
So this IBS Awareness Month, we’re asking people to stand up for better gut health conversations – and better support.
We’ve created something simple, but powerful:
Our Poo-tition — a movement to get more people talking about gut health, reduce stigma, and push for change. We’re campaigning to get a sad poo emoji made for those days you want to communicate about the less happy poos in your life.
Sign the Gut Wealth poo-tition here.
Because yes – we’re making it a bit lighter, a bit more human, a bit more us. But the message behind it is serious.
Why this matters to me
I started Gut Wealth because I saw how many people were quietly struggling in doctor’s waiting rooms, gastro waiting rooms, chat forums and just anywhere they felt they might be heard. I was one of them.
Planning my day around toilets. Feeling uncomfortable in my own body. Second-guessing what’s “normal.” Putting up with symptoms I didn’t feel able to talk about (at the time).
IBS isn’t just physical. It affects confidence, energy, work, relationships – and how people show up in their own lives. And yet, so many people are still left to “just deal with it.”
That’s what needs to change.
This April, here’s what I’d love you to do – whether you have IBS or not, sign our poo-tition.
We’ve GUT you.
Gemma
Founder, Gut Wealth
