Understanding Constipation

Hello, I'm Dr. Bob Kizer, a gastroenterologist with CHI Health. In my line of work, a lot of people ask me how often they should poop. Well, at least I hope it's because of my line of work.

Anyway, a lot of people believe that there is a normal amount of times that they should be having a bowel movement. As a result, people spend a lot of time, money and effort trying to go to the bathroom more or less frequently.

Well, the truth is that there's not a normal amount of times per day or per week that somebody should have a bowel movement.

How Do We Define Constipation?

Well, like it or not; I'm going to tell you.

When You're Having a Bowel Movement, If You Feel Like:

• You need to strain and push to poop.
• When you're done; you're not actually done.
• You need to use special maneuvers to help evacuate your bowels.
• You need to use these techniques 25% of the time.

Then, you're constipated.

Now, using this definition, I've seen some people that poop everyday, but are constipated. I've also seen some people that poop every 3 to 5 days that are not constipated.

So, if you are constipated or if you're not sure if you're constipated, then please contact our gastroenterology team. We've made tremendous strides in treating this old problem and we would love to help you feel better.

It's your health, and I'm here to help you keep it! To read more blogs about gastroenterology, please go here.