Constipation

constipationgastrointestinal healthgut health
Written By Emma Keenan Dietitian
A lady in a pink singlet sitting on the toilet struggling with constipation clutching her stomach

WHAT IS CONSTIPATION?

Constipation is a condition where a person has trouble passing stool with ease.

What is constipation? Constipated woman sitting on the toilet trying to poo

SYMPTOMS OF CONSTIPATION

  • Very hard or dry lumpy stools that resemble sheep or rabbit droppings.

  • Straining, if you’re groaning, moaning, pushing, and straining to get anything to pass.

  • Infrequent bowel movements: The bowels open less than three times per week.

  • The feeling of incomplete evacuation, despite straining, with a feeling that there is poo left in there.

  • The sensation of obstruction or blockage, there feels like something is stopping the poo from moving through your bowel smoothly.

  • Spending too long in the toilet, taking more than a couple of minutes to pass a poo.

  • Pain in the rectum or anus.

  • Using fingers or toilet paper to remove stool or support the pelvic floor manually.

  • Abdominal pain or discomfort

  • Bloating or distension

  • Heartburn

  • Nausea

Hard dry stool that looks like sheep droppings

When constipated, stool may appear as small, hard pellets similar to sheep droppings.

WHAT IS A NORMAL POOp?

Characteristics of a healthy stool and bowel movements:

  • Shape & Consistency:

    • Shaped like a sausage, with cracks on the surface, it looks like a corn on the cob (Bristol Stool Scale Type 3), or

    • Formed like a snake or sausage, smooth and soft (Bristol Stool Scale Type 4)

  • Frequency:

    • Anywhere from three times per day to

    • Once every three days

  • Colour:

    • Brown, varying from light to dark shades

  • Passed easily, without pain or blood

What is an Abnormal Poop?

Characteristics of abnormal stool and bowel movements:

  • Shape & Consistency:

    • Hard and dry, Bristol Stool Chart (Stool type 1 and 2) or

    • Soft and loose, Bristol Stool Chart (Stool type 5, 6, & 7)

  • Frequency:

    • More than three times per day or

    • Less than once every three days

  • Colour:

    • A shade other than brown (e.g., black, red, pale, clay-coloured, green)

  • Smell abnormally foul or the smell may linger

Red Flag Symptoms

If you experience symptoms that are new, persistent or unexplained, you should see your GP for assessment.

Red flag symptoms include:

  • Weight loss without trying

  • Changes in bowel habits

  • A change in stool shape or consistency

  • Blood in the stool or rectal bleeding

  • Incomplete evacuation

  • Waking at night to pass stool

  • Frequent gas, pain or cramping

  • Unexplained anaemia

  • Abdominal pain or bloating

  • Fever

  • Family history of bowel cancer

Bristol stool chart choose your poo

Bristol Stool Form Scale (for children) or adults with a sense of humour!

WHO EXPERIENCES CONSTIPATION?

According to a 2019 study of Australian adults, 24.0% experience chronic constipation, and 39.6% experience sub-chronic constipation. While everyone with a large bowel can experience constipation, it is more common in women (geez, thanks to female sex hormones!), older individuals, and people with lower incomes.

The positive news is that constipation is a manageable condition, and you can achieve regular and satisfying bowel movements.

Constipated woman on toilet straining to pass stool

HOW IS CONSTIPATION DIAGNOSED?

Occasional constipation can be expected due to changes in routine, travel, or diet. For instance, when travelling and encountering bathroom anxiety due to unfamiliar surroundings, insufficient water intake, and consuming different foods during your journey can contribute to this. Upon reaching your destination, as you settle in and establish a more familiar routine, bowel movements often return to normal. This type of transient constipation typically doesn’t require a visit to your doctor.

It’s good to see your GP for support to resolve your constipation and to rule out any potential more sinister causes of constipation:

  • It impacts your day-to-day quality of life

  • It persists for an extended period or occurs suddenly

  • Or altered bowel movements occur after turning 50

  • Involves blood in your poo (yes, you should be looking)

  • It is accompanied by weight loss without trying, even if you think the loss of weight is good.

  • If there is a family history of bowel disease (cancer, coeliac disease, or inflammatory bowel disease).

CONSTIPATION DIAGNOSTIC CRITERIA

The diagnosis of conditions like irritable bowel syndrome with Constipation (IBS-C), Functional Constipation, and Opioid-Induced Constipation relies on the Rome IV Diagnostic Criteria for Disorder of Gut-Brain Interaction (DGBI).

Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)

Recurrent abdominal pain on average at least 1 day/week in the last 3 months, associated with two or more of the following criteria:

  1. Related to defecation

  2. Associated with a change in the frequency of stool

  3. Associated with a change in form (appearance) of stool

Criteria fulfilled for the last 3 months with symptom onset at least 6 months before diagnosis.

IBS with predominant constipation (IBS-C)

  • More than 25% of Bristol stool types 1 or 2 bowel movements and less than 25% of Bristol stool types 6 or 7.

Functional Constipation

  1. Must include two or more of the following:

    1. Straining during more than 25% of defecations

    2. Lumpy or hard stools more than 25% of defecations

    3. Sensation of incomplete evacuation of more than 25% of defecations

    4. The sensation of anorectal obstruction/blockage more than 25% of defecations

    5. Manual maneuvers to facilitate more than 25% of defecations (e.g., digital evacuation, support of the pelvic floor)

    6. Fewer than three spontaneous bowel movements per week

  2. Loose stools are rarely present without the use of laxatives

  3. Insufficient criteria for irritable bowel syndrome

Criteria fulfilled for the last 3 months with symptoms onset at least 6 months before diagnosis.

Opioid Induced Constipation

  1. New or worsening symptoms of constipation when initiating, changing, or increasing opioid therapy must include two or more of the following:

    1. Straining during more than 25% of defecations

    2. Lumpy or hard stools more than 25% of defecations

    3. Sensation of incomplete evacuation of more than 25% of defecations

    4. The sensation of anorectal obstruction/blockage in more than 25% of defecations

    5. Manual maneuvers to facilitate more than 25% of defecations (e.g., digital evacuation, support of the pelvic floor)

    6. Fewer than three spontaneous bowel movements per week

    7. Loose stools are rarely present without the use of laxatives.

Image of the large intestine with constipation

WHAT CAUSES AND CONTRIBUTES TO CONSTIPATION?

Types of Functional Constipation

  • Normal transit constipation, including irritable bowel syndrome with constipation (most common)

  • Slow transit constipation (common in women)

  • Defecatory disorders

Secondary Causes of Constipation:

  • Organic: colorectal cancer, extra-intestinal mass

  • Endocrine or metabolic: diabetes mellitus, hypothyroidism, chronic renal insufficiency

  • Neurological: spinal cord injury, Parkinson’s disease, paraplegia, Hirschsprung’s disease

  • Anorectal: anal fissure, anal stricture, inflammatory bowel disease

  • Drugs: opiates, blood pressure medications, some antidepressants, drugs for epilepsy….a long list

  • Supplements: iron, calcium

  • Diet: insufficient fluid intake, unbalanced fibre intake, inadequate food intake

  • Lifestyle: lack of movement, supplements, drug use

  • Behavioural: withholding, routine, positioning

  • Psychological: eating disorders, anxiety, depression, stressful life events

EIGHT STRATEGIES FOR MANAGING CHRONIC CONSTIPATION

  1. See your GP to ease your mind, get a referral to see a dietitian, and rule out any serious causes.

  2. Stay hydrated by drinking plenty of water and fluids.

  3. Consume enough fibre, balancing intake.

  4. Move your body; physical activity gets your digestive system moving.

  5. Overcome poo fright.

  6. Practice relaxation techniques.

  7. Consider using a squatty potty (even if you’re not constipated)

  8. If other strategies fail, consult a gut health dietitian for individualised support and dietary advice to help to relieve constipation.

REFERENCES

Barberio, B., Judge, C., Savarino, E. V., & Ford, A. C. (2021). Global prevalence of functional constipation according to the Rome criteria: a systematic review and meta-analysis. The Lancet Gastroenterology & Hepatology, 6, 8, p638-648.

Judkins, C. P., Wang, Y., Jelinic, M., Bobik, A., Vinh, A., Sobey, C. G., & Drummond, G. R. (2023). Association of constipation with increased risk of hypertension and cardiovascular events in elderly Australian patients. Scientific Reports, 13.

Werth, B. L., Williams, K. A., Fisher, M. J., & Pont, L. G. (2019). Defining constipation to estimate its prevalence in the community: results from a national survey. BMC Gastroenterology, 19, 75.

Werth, B. L., Williams, K. A., Fisher, M. J., & Pont, L. G. (2020). Chronic constipation in the Community: A National Survey of Australian Adults. Journal of Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nursing, 47, 3, p 259-264.

LEARN ABOUT OTHER GUT CONDITIONS

IBS Dietary Management — Melbourne Dietitian & Nutritionist

Lactose Intolerance — Melbourne Dietitian & Nutritionist

What is a normal poop? — Melbourne Dietitian & Nutritionist

How are farts made? — Melbourne Dietitian & Nutritionist

Emma Keenan Dietitian https://www.emmakeenandietitian.com.au
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