- continuous or recurrent symptoms for at least 3 months of: abdominal pain or discomfort, relieved with defecation, or associated with a change in frequency or consistency of stool, and an irregular pattern of defecation at least 25% of the time with 3 or more of the following: altered stool frequency, altered stool form (hard or loose/watery), altered stool passage (straining or urgency, feeling of incomplete evacuation), passage of mucus, and bloating or abdominal distension