Constipation is when you poop less often than usual. Your poop may also be hard or dry when you try to pass it. This is very common. About 2.5 million people in the U.S. see a doctor for constipation each year. But it's usually not serious. You can often get back on track with simple home remedies and lifestyle changes.
How often should you poop?
The "normal" number of poops varies from person to person. You may poop three times a day, while someone else goes just a few times a week. But if you don't poop for longer than three days, your poop can get harder to pass. If that happens, it may be time to try home remedies or talk with your doctor.
Constipation Symptoms
When you have a hard time pooping, you may go very little or not at all. When you try to go, you may feel that you need to push a lot in order to poop (straining to go). You may also have:
- A blocked feeling when you try to poop
- A feeling that everything didn't come out
- A stomachache or cramps
- Belly bloating
- Hard or small poops
You also may feel like you need help to get poop out, such as by pressing on your belly or using a finger to remove poop from your bottom.
What Causes Constipation?
Having a hard time pooping often happens because something slows your digestion (how your body breaks down food). This includes:
Lifestyle factors. Not having enough water or fiber can make it harder for your poop to move through your colon. Eating a lot of low‑fiber, high‑fat foods can also slow digestion because fat takes longer to break down. Being inactive or ignoring the urge to poop makes poop sit longer in your gut, giving it more time to harden and dry out. Drinking enough water and eating foods with a lot of fiber, such as vegetables, can help make poop soft and bulky. This makes poop easier to pass.
Hormones. An underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism) slows your metabolism (how your body turns food into energy), which can also slow digestion. Pregnancy can also cause this because of hormone shifts and pressure from a growing baby.
Medications. Certain drugs can slow the muscle contractions that move poop through your intestines, including:
- Antacid medicines with calcium or aluminum
- Antidepressants
- Antihistamines
- Anti-seizure medications
- Blood pressure medications
- Iron pills
- Laxatives (if used long-term)
- Prescription pain medicines such as opioids
Conditions affecting your intestine. Diverticulitis (inflamed pouches in your colon), colon cancer, and a blockage in the intestine can all slow or stop poop from moving through.
Conditions affecting your muscles and nerves. Some conditions disrupt the nerves and muscles that control how poop moves. These include neurological diseases such as Parkinson's disease or multiple sclerosis, too much calcium in your blood (hypercalcemia), and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
Constipation related to diet, habits, or medications often clears up once you make lifestyle changes. But see your doctor right away if your constipation is sudden or severe or lasts more than three weeks.
Constipation Risk Factors
Things that make it hard to poop directly affect your gut. A risk factor, on the other hand, raises your odds of constipation by affecting things such as your diet, activity, or medication. Examples of risk factors for constipation include:
- Age
- Depression
- Eating disorders
- Travel or big changes in your routine
An eating disorder or depression can, for example, lead to changes in your activity level, diet, or medications. After the age of 65, your metabolism can also slow, and the muscles that move your poop can weaken. These changes can then cause constipation.
Some things can be both a cause and a risk factor. Stress can be either, depending on how it affects you. If it slows your digestion directly, it's a cause. If it changes what you eat, drink, or how much you move, it's a risk factor. It can also be a risk factor if it raises your chance of a cause like IBS.
The Role of Fiber
You can often make it easier to poop by changing your diet and daily habits. Try adding more fiber to your diet. You'll need a balance of both soluble and insoluble fiber, as they work in different ways.
High-fiber foods chart for constipation
| Fiber type | Overview |
|---|---|
| Soluble | How it works: Pulls in water and forms a soft gel, which can help make poop softer and easier to pass Food examples: Oats, barley, beans, lentils, chia seeds, flaxseeds, oranges, and apples |
| Insoluble | How it works: Adds bulk to poop, which helps it move through the intestines more quickly Food examples: Wheat bran, whole grains, vegetables, nuts, seeds, pears, and berries |
To prevent gas, bloating, and worsening of constipation, slowly raise how much fiber you eat. Choose food as your primary fiber source. You can also use over‑the‑counter (OTC) fiber supplements to add bulk and softness to your poop so it passes more easily. Ask your doctor if these supplements are right for you, especially if you have other health problems, such as Crohn's disease. Let them know if you take medications every day, as fiber can sometimes affect how they work.
Constipation Remedies
Other things you can do to stop your poop from getting dry and hard to pass include:
Drink more fluid. Water keeps poop moist and soft, and warm liquids may gently help your intestines get going.
Eat low-fat foods with probiotics, such as yogurt and kefir. Probiotics can improve the balance of bacteria in your gut, which can support more regular pooping.
Cut back on high-fat foods. Fried foods, processed meats, and refined carbs tend to be low in fiber and high in fat, so they move more slowly through your gut. Lean proteins and low‑fat dairy are easier to digest.
Cut back on alcohol and caffeine. Both can dehydrate you (dry your body out by taking away too much water), which makes your body pull more water out of poop.
Exercise most days of the week. Moving your body helps the muscles in your intestines contract more often, which helps keep digestion from slowing down.
Don't ignore the urge to poop. Going when you feel the urge helps keep poop from sitting too long in your colon.
Track what you eat in a food diary. Noting which foods make you feel backed up can help you avoid constipation triggers.
Adjust your position on the toilet. Using a footstool, leaning forward, or squatting can help align your body so poop has a straighter path to come out.
Avoid distractions. Don't bring your phone to the bathroom. Focus on relaxing so your pelvic floor muscles can release. But try to keep your time on the toilet to about 10 minutes to limit how much you push and to help prevent hemorrhoids.
Take a laxative. You can buy many laxatives over the counter. But using them for too long could make constipation worse over time and hide the real reason you're constipated. Ask your doctor or pharmacist which kind might work for you and how long you should take it. Types of laxatives include:
- Osmotic agents, such as magnesium hydroxide (milk of magnesia) or polyethylene glycol (MiraLAX), which help pull water into your intestine to soften your poop
- Stool (poop) softeners, such as docusate (Colace), which let water mix into the poop itself
- Lubricant laxatives, such as mineral oil, which coat the inside of your bowel so poop can pass more smoothly
- Stimulant laxatives, such as bisacodyl (Dulcolax) or senna (Senokot), which help your bowels contract more strongly
Train your bowel. Sitting on the toilet at the same time every daycan help your body learn to poop regularly. This may make pooping easier over time.
Try an enema or a suppository. An enema is liquid put into your rectum to flush it out and soften your poop. A suppository is a small medicine capsule inserted into your rectum to help you poop. You can get these over the counter at a pharmacy. You can also get an enema at your doctor's office.
How Long Does Constipation Last?
How long it takes for you to poop normally again depends on what's causing the problem and how quickly you treat it. Constipation caused by lifestyle changes such as travel or a few days of eating low-fiber foods often gets better once you return to your routine.
Doctors generally use the term "chronic constipation" when you've had symptoms for at least three months. But don't wait that long to get checked. When constipation goes on for a long time or keeps coming back, it can lead to more problems, such as hemorrhoids or a rectal prolapse (a condition in which part of the rectum pushes out through the anus after too much pushing to poop).
So, if you've been constipated for three weeks or more or your symptoms keep coming back, see a doctor. They can check if a medical condition or medication is the cause and refer you to the best treatment.
Constipation danger signs
Some symptoms that happen with constipation can be signs of a more serious cause such as colon cancer, diverticulitis, or a blockage in the intestine. Get urgent help if:
- You have stomach pain or severe pain when you poop
- You notice blood in your poop
- You're losing weight without trying
- You're vomiting
- You have a fever
- You can't pass gas
- You have stomach pain or severe pain when you poop
- You notice blood in your poop
- You're losing weight without trying
- You're vomiting
- You have a fever
- You can't pass gas
- The size, shape, look, or texture (feel) of your poop has changed a lot
Constipation Diagnosis
Your doctor will start by asking you questions about your medical history, lifestyle, and habits and how often and how easily you poop. Then they'll also do a physical exam. They may also do a rectal exam. During this quick exam, your doctor inserts a finger into your bottom to check for any problems, such as a lump.
Your doctor may recommend some other tests to find the cause of your constipation, such as
Blood, poop, and urine tests. These can show hormone problems such as an underactive thyroid, high calcium levels, or signs of inflammation in your intestine (such as diverticulitis).
Colonoscopy or sigmoidoscopy. Your doctor inserts a tiny camera into your rectum and colon to look for any issues such as a blockage.
Imaging tests. X-ray, CT scan, or MRI scan are other ways your doctor can look for anything in your digestive system that may cause constipation.
Bowel function tests. Defecography, anorectal manometry, balloon expulsion, radiopaque marker studies, and scintigraphy show how your colon, rectum, and anus are working and how poop moves through and out. This helps find problems with the muscles and nerves that control pooping.
Constipation Treatments
If your symptoms don't get better with lifestyle changes and OTC medications, your doctor may prescribe a stronger medication. Options include:
These medications help your intestines move poop more often and more easily.
If your constipation is caused by opioid pain medications, your doctor might prescribe:
These medications help block the effect opioids have on the movement of poop through your colon.
Surgery for constipation
You most likely won't need surgery for constipation. But if there's an issue with your colon or rectum, your doctor may refer you to surgery to fix that problem. Some reasons why you might need surgery are:
- Tear around your anus
- Blockage in your colon
- Narrowing of your intestine
- Rectum pushing into your vagina
Constipation Prevention
Once your constipation is gone, you can take steps to keep poop moving. What works to stop getting backed up can also often help you prevent it. Think of these as everyday habits rather than short-term treatments. They include:
- Building a high-fiber eating pattern over time, with plenty of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains
- Limiting low-fiber foods, such as processed foods and large amounts of meat
- Including probiotic-rich foods, such as yogurt and kefir, in your weekly routine
- Keeping a food diary and avoiding any foods that make you feel backed up
- Drinking enough fluids throughout the day
- Avoiding or cutting down on alcohol and caffeine if they tend to make you feel backed up
- Staying active most days of the week, aiming for at least 30 minutes a day
- Creating a regular time for pooping, such as sitting on the toilet after breakfast each morning
- Going to the bathroom when you get the urge
If your constipation keeps coming back in spite of these habits, talk with your doctor. They can check for medical causes and help you find a long-term treatment plan that works for you.
Takeaways
You have constipation if you're pooping fewer than three times a week or if your poop is hard or painful to pass. Constipation can have many causes, such as not getting enough fiber or water, using certain medications, or having a health condition.
Changing what you eat or trying a short-term laxative may help you find relief, and most mild cases go away on their own. But if a health condition is causing your constipation, you may need a different treatment. If your constipation is severe or doesn't go away after about three weeks, call your doctor.
Constipation: FAQs
Can constipation cause back pain?
When poop builds up in your belly, it can stretch and put pressure on nearby nerves and muscles. This may cause dull pain in your lower back. If your back still hurts after your constipation gets better, the pain may be from something else, and you should talk to a doctor.
Is it safe to use constipation remedies like enemas and suppositories every day?
Using enemas or suppositories once in a while is usually fine. But don't use them every day without a doctor's guidance. Over time, they can irritate your rectum and upset your body's salt and water balance and may make it even harder for your body to poop. You may even come to depend on them to poop.
Does pelvic floor dysfunction cause constipation?
The pelvic floor is the group of muscles that support your bladder, uterus or prostate, and rectum. If these muscles don't relax the right way when you sit on the toilet, poop can't come out easily even when it's soft. This can cause you to push a lot or use your fingers to help the poop come out.
What is the difference between occasional constipation and fecal impaction?
Over time, constipation can lead to more serious problems, such as fecal impaction. This means a big, hard chunk of poop is stuck in your rectum or colon and can't come out by itself. It can cause belly or back pain, lead to bloating, make you feel sick, and sometimes cause runny poop to leak around the blockage.
Why does traveling often cause constipation?
Travel can make you constipated because it changes your normal habits. You may sit more, drink less water, eat more low‑fiber foods, and have less time or privacy to poop. Ignoring the urge to poop because you're on the road or don't like public bathrooms lets poop sit longer in your gut, and it dries out and gets harder to pass. Drinking water, moving around, and eating high‑fiber foods can help prevent this.
