Nearly everyone becomes constipated at one time or another. Older people are more likely than younger people to become constipated, but most of the time it is not serious.
Constipation is a symptom, not a disease. You may be constipated if you are having fewer bowel movements than usual, it takes a long time to pass stools, and they are hard.
There is no right number of daily or weekly bowel movements. Being regular is different for each person. For some people, it can mean bowel movements twice a day. For others, movements just three times a week are normal.
Questions to Ask
Some doctors suggest asking these questions to decide if you are constipated:
- Do you often have fewer than three bowel movements a week?
- Do you often have a hard time passing stools?
- Are stools often lumpy or hard?
- Do you have a feeling of being blocked or of not having fully emptied your bowel?
The clinical definition of constipation is having any two of the following symptoms for at least 12 weeks—not always consecutive—in the previous 12 months:
- Straining during bowel movements
- Lumpy or hard stool
- Sensation of incomplete evacuation
- Sensation of anorectal blockage/obstruction
- Fewer than three bowel movements per week
How is the Cause of Constipation Identified?
The tests the doctor performs depend on the duration and severity of the constipation, the person’s age, and whether blood in stools, recent changes in bowel habits, or weight loss have occurred. Most people with constipation do not need extensive testing and can be treated with changes in diet and exercise.
To find out why you have constipation, your doctor may order one or more tests:
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Sigmoidoscopy. The doctor puts a thin, flexible tube called a sigmoidoscope into the rectum. This scope can show the last third of your large intestine.
- Colonoscopy. The doctor looks at the entire large intestine with a long, flexible tube with a camera that shows images on a TV screen. The tube is like a sigmoidoscope but longer. You receive medicine to help you sleep during a colonoscopy.
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Colorectal transit study. For this test, you swallow small capsules that can be seen on an x ray as they move through the large intestine and anus.
- Anorectal function test. The doctor inserts a small balloon into the anus to see if you are able to push it out.
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Defecography test. The doctor inserts a soft paste into the rectum. The doctor asks you to push out the paste while an x-ray machine takes pictures of the rectum and anus.