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Basics

• Summary
• Start Here
• Symptoms
• Diagnosis and Tests
• Treatments and Therapies

Learn More

• Related Issues

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• Health Check Tools

Research

• Clinical Trials
• Journal Articles

Resources

• Find an Expert

For You

• Children
• Teenagers
• Women
• Older Adults
• Patient Handouts

Summary

Constipation means that a person has three or fewer bowel movements in a week. The stool can be hard and dry. Sometimes it is painful to pass. At one time or another, almost everyone gets constipated. In most cases, it lasts a short time and is not serious.

There are many things you can do to prevent constipation. They include

• Eating more fruits, vegetables and grains, which are high in fiber
• Drinking plenty of water and other liquids
• Getting enough exercise
• Taking time to have a bowel movement when you need to
• Using laxatives only if your doctor says you should
• Asking your doctor if medicines you take may cause constipation

It's not important that you have a bowel movement every day. If your bowel habits change, however, check with your doctor.

NIH: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases

Start Here

• Constipation (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
• Definition and Facts for Constipation (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)

Symptoms

• Symptoms and Causes of Constipation (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)

Diagnosis and Tests

• Colonoscopy: MedlinePlus Health Topic (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
• Diagnosis of Constipation (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)
• Lower GI Series (Barium Enema) (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) Also in Spanish
• Lower GI X-Ray (Barium Enema) (American College of Radiology; Radiological Society of North America) Also in Spanish

Treatments and Therapies

• Eating, Diet, and Nutrition for Constipation (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)
• Flaxseed and Flaxseed Oil (National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health)
• Nonprescription Laxatives for Constipation: Use with Caution (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
• Treatment for Constipation (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)

Related Issues

• Dyssynergic Defecation: About a Common Cause of Chronic Constipation (International Foundation for Gastrointestinal Disorders)
• How to Get More Fiber in Your Diet (American Academy of Family Physicians) Also in Spanish
• Rectal Prolapse (American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons)
• Solitary Rectal Ulcer Syndrome (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish

Health Check Tools

• Elimination Problems or Constipation (American Academy of Family Physicians) Also in Spanish

Clinical Trials

• ClinicalTrials.gov: Constipation (National Institutes of Health)

Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

• Article: Investigating Endogenous Opioids Unravels the Mechanisms Behind Opioid-Induced Constipation, a Mathematical...
• Article: Features of defecation dysfunction among patients with Hirschsprung disease in early...
• Article: Epidemiology of childhood constipation: a national study of Swedish children from...
• Constipation -- see more articles

Find an Expert

• American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons
• Find a Gastroenterologist (GI Doctor) (American College of Gastroenterology)
• National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases

Children

• Constipation (For Kids) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
• Constipation and Fecal Soiling (North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition) - PDF
• Definition and Facts for Constipation in Children (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) Also in Spanish
• Diagnosis of Constipation in Children (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) Also in Spanish
• Eating, Diet, and Nutrition for Constipation in Children (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) Also in Spanish
• How Can I Tell If My Baby is Constipated? (American Academy of Pediatrics) Also in Spanish
• Symptoms and Causes of Constipation in Children (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)
• Treatment for Constipation in Children (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) Also in Spanish

Teenagers

• Constipation (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish

Women

• Pregnancy Constipation: Are Stool Softeners Safe? (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish

Older Adults

• Concerned About Constipation? (National Institute on Aging)
• Nutrition Needs for Older Adults: Fiber (Administration for Community Living) - PDF

Patient Handouts

• Constipation - self-care (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Constipation in infants and children (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Fecal impaction (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Tenesmus (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish