Self Care Articles

Is this your symptom?

• Can't pass a stool or pain when passing a stool
• 3 or more days without passing a stool
• Caution: any stomach pain from constipation comes and goes. Most often, it is mild. Use the Stomach Pain care guide if there is sudden onset or constant stomach pain.

Causes of Constipation

• Low Fiber Diet can cause constipation. To increase the fiber in your diet, choose higher-fiber breakfast cereals or bread with whole grains. Choose whole wheat pasta and brown rice. Add beans, lentils or chickpeas to your diet and include plenty of fresh vegetables and fruit. Nuts and seeds are another good source of fiber and can be eaten as a snack. So can fresh fruit and raw vegetables.
• Not Enough Fluids. Drinking 6-8 glasses of fluids a day (avoid alcohol) will help keep you healthy and prevent dehydration. It will also help keep your stools soft. If you have had diarrhea or vomiting and have become dehydrated, you may become constipated. The same can happen in hot weather or if you have a fever for a long time. If you work in a hot environment and have been sweating a lot due to activity, drink more fluids.
• Lack of Exercise can make the bowels sluggish. Keep active to prevent this.
• Limited Bathrooms or Bathroom Time. Not enough bathrooms at home or at work, or lack of privacy, can lead to delay in passing a stool. This can cause constipation, as the stool is harder to pass later.
• Anorectal Disease. Diseases which affect the rectum and anus can lead to constipation. Painful stools are too hard to pass. These diseases include:
  • Anal Fissure. A crack in the skin at the anus caused by passing a large hard stool. This causes pain and bleeding when passing a stool.
  • Anal Stricture. Narrowing of the anus makes it is hard to pass a normal stool. Stools may appear narrow when passed. There may also be an anal fissure, with bleeding.
• Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) causes bouts of diarrhea, constipation and abdominal pain. The exact cause is unknown. Factors may include stress, diet, lifestyle or hormones. Symptoms are similar to problems that inflame the bowel, such as ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease. They may need to be ruled out before a diagnosis of IBS is made.
• Intestinal Obstruction (serious). Part of the bowel can get blocked for a number of reasons. This prevents the stools from passing along the length of the bowel. It can begin slowly or can come on suddenly. It may seem like constipation, but it is a more serious problem and needs urgent treatment. Obstruction can be caused by:
  • Strictures: narrowing anywhere in the bowel
  • Colorectal Cancer can cause a growth which blocks the bowel.
  • Pelvic Mass. A large growth in the pelvis can press on the rectum and block stools from passing through that part of the bowel. Growths may include ovarian cysts and fibroids. The late stages of pregnancy have a similar effect. Constipation is common in pregnant women.
  • Diverticulosis means sacs form on the inner lining of the bowel. They can get large and inflamed or infected. It makes it hard for stools to pass through that part of the bowel. This issue gets more common with age.
  • Twisted Bowel. The bowel can twist and become blocked. This often causes severe abdominal pain, vomiting, an inability to pass wind and a bloated abdomen. Call 911 if you have these symptoms.
• Other Medical Conditions. Some medical conditions are linked to constipation. These include underactive thyroid, low calcium or potassium levels, porphyria and lead poisoning. If you have constipation often, your doctor can order tests for these conditions.
• Medicines can cause constipation. These include painkillers like morphine and codeine, iron and some antidepressants.
• Nerve Damage. If there has been damage to the bowel nerves, the bowel may not be able to push the stools along. Damage could be due to injuries to the spine or pelvis, nerve damage due to poorly-controlled diabetes, or a congenital reason such as spina bifida.
• Chronic Laxative Abuse caused by an attempt to lose or control weight.
• Slow Passage of Food through the Intestines. Most often, this type runs in families. It's called slow transit time.