Constipation is defined by having fewer than three bowel movements in a week for more than a week. Symptoms include straining, hard stools, and feeling incomplete. It can be resolved with diet and fluid changes, but ongoing cases require medical supervision.
Constipation is essentially defined by its symptoms, and most importantly by whether people have fewer than three bowel movements in a week, for more than a week. It is also true that the symptoms of constipation can be symptomatic of other diseases and problems, so ongoing cases of constipation need medical diagnosis and supervision.
The first of the symptoms of constipation is the reduction in frequency of bowel movements where people usually have no more than three in a week. It’s perfectly healthy to make four or five movements in a week, and people who don’t get a daily movement aren’t usually considered constipated. There may be other signs that the bowels are not functioning normally which can also indicate an ongoing problem.
Some of the other symptoms of constipation include having to strain or push hard to have a bowel movement. Typically, stools should pass fairly easily and overloading can cause complications such as hemorrhoids. When a person is constipated, the stool may also feel very hard or difficult to pass, and sometimes some blood is present on the toilet paper when the anus is cleaned because a hard stool has damaged the delicate anal tissue. A very small amount of blood, such as a drop or two, is usually not a cause for concern, but significant or frequent bleeding on tissue or in the toilet requires medical attention.
Many people with constipation symptoms notice a feeling of fullness in the lower abdomen, and sometimes people have mild stomach pain. A bowel movement may also feel like it isn’t complete – people may still feel they need to use the toilet but are unable to pass stool.
These normal symptoms of constipation often resolve by drinking plenty of fluids and including more fiber in the diet. Some symptoms may signal the presence of serious medical conditions. These include severe stomach or abdominal discomfort, heavy blood in the stools, passing black stools, which could suggest abdominal bleeding, continued constipation despite treatment, or episodes of constipation followed by episodes of diarrhoea.
For most people, constipation symptoms usually resolve with changes in diet and fluid intake. Long-term cases might be managed by using laxatives, fiber supplements, or other medicines under the guidance of a doctor. People are usually advised not to start using these medicines without medical advice because some may have rebound effects or are not appropriate for treating the underlying cause of this condition.
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