Constipation
What You Can Do
- Drink plenty of fluids and stay hydrated. To check your hydration levels, take a look at the color of your urine. If you are fully hydrated your urine will be pale yellow or even colorless.
- Eat fiber, fiber and more fiber. Fiber is important for regular bowel function, so make sure that you eat plenty of whole grains, fruits and vegetables. (Remember to drink plenty of water after eating high fiber foods or you find yourself trading constipation for gas.)
Click here for our own high fiber regularity recipe.
- Try to establish a routine for bowel elimination. In other words, try to go at the same time every day.
- Respond to the urge for a bowel movement. You wouldn’t leave the house in the morning without doing your hair and make-up, so make a toilet date and take the same care with your colon.
- An apple a day keeps the doctor away – and keeps things moving in your colon. Apples are natural laxatives and help support normal bowel function.
- Except in rare cases, avoid chemical- based laxatives such as Ex-lax or Correctol. Excessive laxative use is likely to “make your bowel lazy” and dependent on the laxatives in order to work. You may also end up in the middle of a vicious cycle, constantly alternating between constipation and diarrhea.
- Don’t skip meals. Eating stimulates the reflex that causes food (and waste) to move through your digestive system.
- Sit, don’t strain, when you are trying to go to the bathroom. Not only can forcing out hard, dry stool lead to hemorrhoids and a protrusion of rectal tissue, but it can also put you at risk for developing uterine prolapse.
- Try propping your feet up on a stool with your knees bent while you sit on the toilet. This should straighten the angle of your bowel and help you pass stool more quickly without straining.
This information is not intended to substitute the recommendations of your healthcare providers. Women’s Health Foundation disclaims any liability for the decisions you make based on this information.
