It’s common after a colonoscopy to feel symptoms such as gas, bloating, stomach pain, and cramping. For some people, the symptoms can go on for weeks and cause permanent changes to the gut microbiota.
About 40 percent of patients may experience these lingering problems, which tend to be more common in women, patients who have a longer procedure time, and those with preexisting diseases that already disrupt the microbiota, such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
