How Do You Know When Your Constipated

Overview

What is constipation?

Having fewer than iii bowel movements a week is, technically, the definition of constipation. However, how oft you "become" varies widely from person to person. Some people have bowel movements several times a day while others have them only one to ii times a week. Whatsoever your bowel movement pattern is, it's unique and normal for yous – as long as you lot don't stray likewise far from your pattern.

Regardless of your bowel pattern, one fact is sure: the longer you get 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 accept a feeling that you lot have not fully emptied your bowels.

How mutual is constipation?

You are not lone if you have constipation. Constipation is ane of the virtually frequent gastrointestinal complaints in the United States. At least 2.5 million people see their dr. each twelvemonth due to constipation.

People of all ages can have an occasional tour 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 historic period. Older people tend to exist less active, accept a slower metabolism and less musculus contraction strength forth their digestive tract than when they were younger.
Being a adult female, specially while yous are meaning and afterwards childbirth. Changes in a adult female's hormones make them more than decumbent to constipation. The baby inside the womb squishes the intestines, slowing down the passage of stool.
Not eating plenty high-fiber foods. High-fiber foods keep food moving through the digestive organization.
Taking certain medications (meet causes).
Having certain neurological (diseases of the brain and spinal cord) and digestive disorders (meet causes).

How does constipation happen?

Constipation happens because your colon absorbs besides much water from waste product (stool/poop), which dries out the stool making it difficult in consistency and hard to push out of the body.

To back upwardly a bit, equally 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 chosen the colon. The colon absorbs h2o from this waste, which creates a solid matter called stool. If yous take constipation, food may move likewise slowly through the digestive tract. This gives the colon more than time – besides much time – to absorb water from the waste matter. The stool becomes dry, difficult, and difficult to push out.

Pathway of food waste through colon, rectum and anus.

Pathway of food waste matter through colon, rectum and anus.

Can constipation cause internal damage or lead to other wellness problems?

There are a few complications that could happen if you don't take soft, regular bowel movements. Some complications include:

Bloated, inflamed veins in your rectum (a condition chosen 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 status 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 assistance control your bladder. Besides much straining for as well long a period of fourth dimension may crusade urine to leak from the bladder (a condition called stress urinary incontinence).

Does non having regular bowel movements cause toxins to build up in my body and make me sick?

Don't worry, this usually isn't the case. Although your colon holds on to stool longer when you are constipated and you may feel uncomfortable, the colon is an expandable container for your waste product. In that location is perchance a slight adventure of a bacterial infection if waste gets into an existing wound in the colon or rectum.

Symptoms and Causes

What causes constipation?

There are many causes of constipation – lifestyle choices, medications, medical conditions, and pregnancy.

Common lifestyle causes of constipation include:

Eating foods low in fiber.
Not drinking enough h2o (dehydration).
Not getting enough practice.
Changes in your regular routine, such as traveling or eating or going to bed at different times.
Eating large amounts of milk or cheese.
Stress.
Resisting the urge to have a bowel movement.

Medications that can cause constipation include:

Strong pain medicines, similar the narcotics containing codeine, oxycodone (Oxycontin®) and hydromorphone (Dilaudid®).
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, similar ibuprofen (Advil®, Motrin®) and naproxen (Aleve®).
Antidepressants, including the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (similar fluoxetine [Prozac®]) or tricyclic antidepressants (similar amitriptyline [Elavil®]).
Antacids containing calcium or aluminum, such as Tums®.
Iron pills.
Allergy medications, such as antihistamines (like diphenhydramine [Benadryl®]).
Sure blood pressure level medicines, including calcium channel blockers (similar verapamil [Calan SR], diltiazem [Cardizem®] and nifedipine [Procardia®]) and beta-blockers (like atenolol [Tenormin®]).
Psychiatric medications, like clozapine (Clozaril®) and olanzapine (Zyprexa®).
Anticonvulsant/seizure medications, such equally phenytoin and gabapentin.
Antinausea medications, like ondansetron (Zofran®).

Many drugs tin crusade constipation. Enquire your doc or pharmacist if you have any questions or concerns.

Medical and health conditions that tin cause constipation include:

Endocrine issues, like underactive thyroid gland (hypothyroidism), diabetes, uremia, hypercalcemia.
Colorectal cancer.
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
Diverticular illness.
Outlet dysfunction constipation. (A defect in the coordination of pelvic floor muscles. These muscles support the organs within the pelvis and lower abdomen. They are needed to help release stool.)
Neurologic disorders including spinal string injury, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's illness, and stroke.
Lazy bowel syndrome. The colon contracts poorly and retains stool.
Intestinal obstruction.
Structural defects in the digestive tract (like fistula, colonic atresia, volvulus, intussusception, imperforate anus, or malrotation.)
Multiple organ diseases, such as amyloidosis, lupus, and scleroderma.
Pregnancy.

What are the symptoms of constipation?

Symptoms of constipation include:

You accept fewer than three bowel movements a week.
Your stools are dry, hard and/or lumpy.
Your stools are hard or painful to pass.
You have a stomach ache or cramps.
You experience bloated and nauseous.
You lot feel that you oasis't completely emptied your bowels after a motion.

Diagnosis and Tests

What should I expect when I talk to my doctor about my constipation?

Talking to your doc – or anyone – nearly your bowel movements (or lack of them) is not the almost pleasant of topics. Know that your physician is there for you. Doctors are trained health professionals who have discussed just about every health topic you can recollect of with their patients.

Your doctor volition start ask you questions about your medical history, bowel movements, and your lifestyle and routines.

Medical history

These questions may include:

What are your electric current and past diseases/wellness conditions?
Have you lot lost or gained any weight recently?
Take y'all had whatsoever previous digestive tract surgeries?
What medications and supplements practice you take for other disorders and for the relief of constipation?
Does anyone in your family unit accept constipation or diseases of the digestive tract or a history of colon cancer?
Have you had a colonoscopy?

Bowel move history

These questions may include:

How often do yous have a bowel move?
What practise your stools look like?
Accept you noticed whatever blood or red streaks in your stool?
Accept you always seen claret in the toilet basin or on the toilet paper after y'all wipe?

Lifestyle habits and routines

What food and beverages do y'all consume and drinkable?
What is your exercise routine?

Your doctor volition also perform a physical exam, which includes a cheque of your vital signs (temperature, pulse, claret pressure level). He or she volition employ a stethoscope to listen to the sounds in your belly. Your abdomen volition likewise be touched to check for pain, tenderness, swelling, and lumps.

Be enlightened that your doctor will too perform a rectal exam. This is a finger test of the inside of your rectum. It'south a quick bank check for whatever masses or problems that can exist felt by finger.

What lab tests and other medical tests may be done to find the cause of my constipation?

Your doc can order no tests or many types of tests and procedures. The determination of which ones your medico might order for you depends on your symptoms, medical history, and overall wellness.

Lab tests: Claret and urine tests reveal signs of hypothyroidism, anemia, and diabetes. A stool sample checks for signs of infection, inflammation, and cancer.

Imaging tests: Computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or lower gastrointestinal tract serial may be ordered to identify other problems that could be causing your constipation.

Colonoscopy: A colonoscopy or sigmoidoscopy– an internal view of your colon with a scope – may be performed. During this process, a small sample of tissue (biopsy) may exist taken to examination for cancer or other issues and whatever constitute polyps volition be removed.

Colorectal transit studies: These tests involve consuming a small dose of a radioactive substance, either in pill class or in a meal, and then tracking both the amount of fourth dimension and how the substance moves through your intestines.

Other bowel office tests: Your doctor may social club tests that check how well your anus and rectum hold and release stool. These tests include a sure type of x-ray (defecography), done to rule out causes of outlet dysfunction constipation, and the insertion of a small airship into the rectum (airship expulsion test and anorectal manometry).

Management and Treatment

How is constipation treated?

Self-care

Most cases of balmy to moderate constipation can be managed past you lot at home. Self-care starts by taking an inventory of what you lot swallow and drink so making changes.

Some recommendations to help salvage your constipation include:

Drink two to four extra glasses of h2o a day. Avoid caffeine-containing drinks and alcohol, which can cause aridity.
Add fruits, vegetables whole grains and other loftier-fiber foods to your diet. Eat fewer loftier-fat foods, similar meat, eggs and cheese.
Eat prunes and/or bran cereal.
Go on a nutrient diary and single out foods that constipate yous.
Become moving, practise.
Bank check how you sit on the toilet. Raising your feet, leaning back or squatting may brand having a bowel movement easier.
Add together an over-the-counter supplemental fiber to your diet (similar Metamucil®, Citrucel®, and Benefiber®).
If needed, have a very mild over-the-counter stool softener or laxative (such every bit docusate [Colace®] or Milk of Magnesia®). Mineral oil enemas, like Fleet®, and stimulant laxatives, like bisacodyl (Dulcolax®) or senna (Senokot®), are other options. At that place are many laxative choices. Inquire your pharmacist or doctor for assist in making a choice. Do non use laxatives for more than two weeks without calling your md. Overuse of laxatives tin worsen your symptoms.
Do non read, use your phone or other devices while trying to move your bowels.

Medication/supplement review

In addition to cocky-intendance methods, your physician volition review your medications and supplements (if you take any). Some of these products can cause constipation. If they do, your doc may change the dose, switch to another drug and/or ask that you stop taking the supplement. Never stop taking your medications or supplements before talking with your physician outset.

Prescription medications

A few prescription drugs are available to care for constipation. These include lubiprostone (Amitiza®), prucalopride (Prudac®, Motegrity®), plecanatide (Trulance®), lactulose (Cephulac®, Kristalose®) and linaclotide (Linzess®). Your doctor will pick the drug that might work best for you based on the results of your tests.

Surgery

Surgery is rarely needed to treat constipation. Your dr. may, however, recommend surgery if constipation is acquired by a structural problem in the colon. Examples of these problems include a blockage in the colon (intestinal obstruction), a narrowing in a portion of the intestine (abdominal stricture), tear in the anus (anal fissure) or the collapse of part of the rectum into the vagina (rectal prolapse). Some causes of outlet dysfunction constipation may be treated with surgery. This is best discussed after testing. You may also need surgery if cancer was found in your colon, rectum or anus.

Prevention

How tin can I prevent constipation?

Employ the aforementioned home-based methods you used to care for constipation to foreclose it from condign a chronic problem:

Consume a well-counterbalanced diet with plenty of fiber. Practiced sources of fiber are fruits, vegetables, legumes, and whole-grain breads and cereals. Cobweb and water help the colon pass stool. Nearly of the fiber in fruits is plant in the skins, such as in apples. Fruits with seeds you can consume, like strawberries, have the most cobweb. Bran is a bully source of cobweb. Eat bran cereal or add bran cereal to other foods, like soup and yogurt. People with constipation should eat between 18 and 30 grams of fiber every day.
Drink viii eight-ounce glasses of h2o a solar day. (Note: Milk can cause constipation in some people.) Liquids that contain caffeine, such as coffee and soft drinks, can dehydrate y'all. You may demand to stop drinking these products until your bowel habits return to normal.
Exercise regularly.
Treat balmy constipation with a dietary supplement similar magnesium. (Non everyone should take magnesium. Check with your medico before taking.)
Move your bowels when you experience the urge. Do not expect.

Living With

When should I phone call my dr.?

Call your healthcare provider if:

Constipation is a new trouble for you.
You see claret in your stool.
Y'all are losing weight unintentionally.
You take severe hurting with bowel movements.
Your constipation has lasted more than 3 weeks.
Yous accept symptoms of outlet dysfunction constipation.

Remember, talk openly and honestly with your medico about your bowel movements and any questions or concerns you may have. Pooping is something we all should be doing. Constipation may be a temporary situation, a long-term problem or a sign of a more than serious condition. Be safe. Encounter your physician, peculiarly if you've noticed a change in your bowel pattern or if your life is being ruled past your bowels.

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Source: https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/4059-constipation