Constipation Dr Rob Hicks Many people are embarrassed to admit it, but as many as 14 million people in the UK suffer from constipation. But what does being constipated mean, how can you get things moving again and when should you seek medical advice?

In this article

What is it? What are the symptoms?

What's the cause? What's the treatment?

In general, constipation is when someone goes to the toilet less often than usual, or when it's difficult to pass a motion. It's a change from a person's usual pattern of bowel opening.

Some people pass a motion twice a day, some three times a week; the pattern is different for all of us. Although most people believe constipation means not passing motions at all, medically speaking it just means passing motions less often than you normally do.

Between the mouth and the anus, the food passes through about nine metres of gut

A process called peristalsis, where the gut muscles contract, squeezes the food through the gut rather like toothpaste out of a tube. Between the mouth and the anus, the food passes through about nine metres of gut, and by the time it leaves your body all the available nutrients should have been absorbed into the body.

Bowel motions need to be large enough to help stimulate these gut contractions and soft enough to slide easily along the bowel.

Many people feel embarrassed, even guilty, when they're constipated. About one person in ten in the UK becomes constipated regularly.

Common symptoms include:

• Fewer bowel motions than usual
• Having to strain to pass a motion
• Pain when passing a motion
• Passing motions that are dry and hard, like rabbit pellets
• A feeling of incomplete bowel emptying

Sometimes straining may be ineffective and no motion is passed.

People with constipation may quickly feel full when eating. Bloating, nausea, even vomiting may occur. Straining may cause piles and rectal bleeding.

Common causes of constipation include:

• Lack of liquid
• Lack of dietary fibre
• Inactivity
• Stress
• Ignoring the urge to go to the toilet

Other causes include some medications (such as painkillers), some medical conditions (for example, irritable bowel syndrome) and changes in environment (going on holiday).

Eat more fibre, including bran cereals, wholegrain bread and rice

Take regular exercise, drink at least eight glasses of water a day and eat more fibre, including bran cereals, wholegrain bread and rice, and at least five portions of fruit and vegetables a day. Never ignore the urge to go to the toilet. Try to keep stress to a minimum.

If necessary, get advice about suitable laxatives from your pharmacist or GP.

Seek medical advice if these measures don't help, or if constipation is associated with severe abdominal pain, vomiting or passing blood and mucus in bowel motions.

This article was last medically reviewed by Dr Rob Hicks in January 2008