Revealing the voices of women living with IBD

The purpose of this exploratory study is to center the voices of women who are living with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in order to understand their lived experiences and the kinds of support and resources they most value. Our review of the literature has indicated that studies which reveal the personal, lived, qualitative experiences with women with IBD are scarce. Instead, the existing body of research tends to be highly medicalized and expert-driven. In this study we constructed a sample of 20 YouTube videos posted by women living with Crohn's Disease and Ulcerative Colitis, who openly shared their experiences of living with the disease. Using phenomenology, coupled with an intersectional lens, we explored how living with IBD, was informed by gender, race, class and age. We hope to publish this exploratory work as a way to begin to address the gap in our understanding of the lived experiences with IBD.