Constipation is a common condition that affects people of all ages. It can mean that you’re not passing stools regularly or you’re unable to completely empty your bowel. Constipation can also cause your stools to be hard and lumpy, as well as unusually large or small.
Eating foods low in fiber. Not drinking enough water (dehydration). Not getting enough exercise. Changes in your regular routine, such as traveling or eating or going to bed at different times.
Having fewer than three bowel movements a week is, technically, the definition of constipation. However, how often you “go” varies widely from person to person. Some people have bowel movements several times a day while others have them only one to two times a week. Whatever your bowel movement pattern is, it’s unique and normal for you – as long as you don’t stray too far from your pattern.
Regardless of your bowel pattern, one fact is certain: the longer you go before you “go,” the more difficult it becomes for stool/poop to pass. Other key features that usually define constipation include: Your stools are dry and hard.
Your bowel movement is painful and stools are difficult to pass.
You have a feeling that you have not fully emptied your bowels.
You are not alone if you have constipation. Constipation is one of the most frequent gastrointestinal complaints.
People of all ages can have an occasional bout of constipation. There are also certain people and situations that are more likely to lead to becoming more consistently constipated (“chronic constipation”). These include older age. Older people tend to be less active, have a slower metabolism and less muscle contraction strength along their digestive tract than when they were younger.
Being a woman, especially while you are pregnant and after childbirth. Changes in a woman’s hormones make them more prone to constipation. The baby inside the uterus squishes the intestines, slowing down the passage of stool. Not eating enough high-fiber foods. High-fiber foods keep food moving through the digestive system.
Having certain neurological (diseases of the brain and spinal cord) and digestive disorders.
Constipation happens because your colon absorbs too much water from waste (stool/poop), which dries out the stool making it hard in consistency and difficult to push out of the body. To back up a bit, as food normally moves through the digestive tract, nutrients are absorbed. The partially digested food (waste) that remains moves from the small intestine to the large intestine, also called the colon.
The colon absorbs water from this waste, which creates a solid matter called stool. If you have constipation, food may move too slowly through the digestive tract. This gives the colon more time – too much time – to absorb water from the waste. The stool becomes dry, hard, and difficult to push out.
There are a few complications that could happen if you don’t have soft, regular bowel movements. Some complications include: Swollen, inflamed veins in your rectum (a condition called hemorrhoids).
Tears in the lining of your anus from hardened stool trying to pass through (called anal fissures).
An infection in pouches that sometimes form off the colon wall from stool that has become trapped and infected (a condition called diverticulitis)
A pile-up of too much stool/poop in the rectum and anus (a condition called fecal impaction).
Damage to your pelvic floor muscles from straining to move your bowels. These muscles help control your bladder. Too much straining for too long a period of time may cause urine to leak from the bladder (a condition called stress urinary incontinence).