Chapter 1: Clinical Overview
The frequency of bowel motions varies a lot between people. For example, the “normal” range for bowel motions in adults is from 3 a day to 3 a week.
The stool (poo) texture is more important than the frequency of passing bowel motions.
Stools should be soft, sausage shaped and easy to pass.
Babies and children can also suffer from constipation, again there is a lot of variation between people. For example, a breast-fed infant may only have 1 bowel motion a week.
The symptoms of constipation are:
having difficulty passing a bowel motion, this may mean straining hard.
not passing a bowel motion as often as normal (for that person).
passing hard, dry, lumpy bowel motions – this may be painful.
only managing to pass small amounts at a time.
feeling as though the bowels are not being emptied and that there is a blockage causing a fullness or bloating.