By: Kathy Hubbard
Most often constipation occurs because of changes in your diet, particularly your intake of fiber, or because of changes in your regular routine. How often you have a bowel movement is unique to you. Some people poop several times a day, while others poop just once or twice a week. There’s no right or wrong. It’s when your “regular” isn’t regular is when you want to be concerned.
“Constipation occurs when your bowel movements become less frequent and stools become difficult to pass,” Cleveland Clinic’s website explains. “Having fewer than three bowel movements a week is, technically, the definition of constipation.”
Regardless of your regular pattern, the longer you go between bowel movements, the more difficult it is to have one. Key features that define constipation are dry and hard stools, painful bowel movements, needing to strain or excessively push to start or complete a bowel movement, or the feeling that you haven’t fully emptied your bowels.
“In some instances, you feel a sensation that the necessary muscles will not relax enough to allow stool to be passed, or you’ll need to change positions on the toilet, push around the groin, or manually pick BMs out of the rectum,” the International Foundation for Gastrointestinal Disorders’ website says. Other symptoms include having a stomachache or cramps, feeling bloated and nauseated.
Cleveland says to contact your primary care provider right away if you have severe pain, blood in your stool, or constipation that lasts longer than three weeks. Any of these symptoms could be an indication of something serious.
Why does constipation happen? Cleveland explains, “Constipation happens because your colon (large intestine) absorbs too much water from your poop. This dries out your poop, making it hard in consistency and difficult to push out of your body.
“To back up a bit, as food normally moves through your digestive tract, your intestines gradually absorb the nutrients. The partially digested food (waste) that passes from your small intestine to your large intestine becomes your poop. Your colon absorbs water from this waste, which makes it more solid. If you have constipation, food may move too slowly through your digestive tract. This gives your colon more time – too much time – to absorb water from the waste. The stool becomes dry, hard and difficult to push out.”
Lifestyle, medications and medical conditions can cause constipation. Anyone who has taken an antibiotic without a probiotic or an opioid without stool softener probably knows what I’m talking about. I won’t go through all the factors individually, as they are extensive. But I will tell you that the most common lifestyle causes include not eating enough fiber, not drinking enough water, not exercising, making changes in your routine such as traveling, stress, or eating an abundance of cheese.
“People of all ages can have an occasional bout of constipation. But certain risk factors make people more likely to become consistently constipated,” Cleveland tells us. “People older than 65 are often less active, have a slower metabolism and have less muscle contraction strength along their digestive tract than when they were younger. Also, changes in your hormones may make you more prone to constipation. It’s common to have constipation during pregnancy and after childbirth.”
Constipation can cause some complications. They include hemorrhoids, anal fissures, diverticulitis, fecal impaction, and damage to your pelvic floor muscles from straining may cause your bladder to leak urine causing stress urinary incontinence.
Often self-care is all you need to alleviate constipation. Cleveland suggests you increase your water consumption and avoid caffeine, alcohol and highly sweetened beverages; add fruits, vegetables, whole grains and other high-fiber foods to your daily diet while eating fewer high-fat foods.
Many people have success with over-the-counter fiber supplements, stool softeners or laxatives. Read the labels carefully. For instance, laxatives should not be taken for more than two weeks without your PCP’s recommendation, so I urge you to talk to your provider before you experiment.
Cleveland agrees, they say, “Remember, talk openly and honestly with your healthcare provider about your bowel movements and any questions or concerns you may have. Constipation may be a temporary situation, a long-term issue or a sign of a more serious condition. See your provider, especially if you’ve noticed a change in your bowel pattern or if your life is being ruled by your bowels.”
Kathy Hubbard was a charter member of Bonner General Health Foundation. She can be reached at [email protected]. This article was written for publication in the Bonner County Daily Bee on January 7, 2026.