Oh, by the way ...what about my constipation?

Article

Quite often, the expectation of what is 'normal' leads patients to question their own gastrointestinal physiology.

Defining 'normal' bowel function

Donna is a 46-year-old woman with a long history of severe endometriosis, for which she has had multiple surgeries. She is well-controlled with long-cycle oral contraceptives (OCs), and has just had a normal annual examination. As you prepare to leave the room, she says, "Oh, by the way...I get constipated a lot, particularly when I travel, and lately I've been taking a lot of business trips. What should I do?"

Basic bowel hygiene

What Donna needs is counseling on basic bowel hygiene. Advise her to:

Recent Videos
Mitchell Creinin, MD, reports estetrol pill eases menstrual symptoms | Image Credit: health.ucdavis.edu
1 expert is featured in this series.
Susanna Mitro, PhD, reveals ethnic disparities in uterine fibroid diagnosis | Image Credit: divisionofresearch.kaiserpermanente.org.
Shayna Mancuso, DO, highlights the real impact of menopause | Image Credit: linkedin.com.
Jihong Liu, ScD, explains how to improve perinatal outcomes in COVID patients | Image Credit: sc.edu.
1 expert is featured in this series.
Jihong Liu, ScD, highlights adverse perinatal outcomes linked to the COVID pandemic | Image Credit: sc.edu.
Experts highlight infant health benefits from minor diet changes in pregnancy | Image Credit: ohsu.edu.
Connie Stark, RNC, PNC, provides fertility preservation insights for endometriosis patients | Image Credit: linkedin.com.
How the impact of maternal diet on infant health is strengthened in late pregnancy | Image Credit: ohsu.edu.
Related Content
© 2025 MJH Life Sciences

All rights reserved.