Information on Normal Bowel Movements, Along with Signs of Medical Problems

Bowel movements are something that most people find uncomfortable to talk about even with their doctors. However most people will at times have changes in their bowels and have questions as to what is considered a normal bowel movement. A normal bowel movement to put it simply is whatever is normal for you. Each person has a normal movement cycle, normal bowel changes often vary by dietary changes, etc. Most doctors will tell patients that unless you have consistent diarrhea, constipation or any discoloration in your bowel, which can indicate serious medical problems such as bleeding an individual should not worry.

Here are some guidelines to decide if you are having relatively normal bowel movements or stools:.

1. The color is usually a medium brown or golden brown in color, similar to that of cocoa, peanut butter or a brown paper sack.

2. The movement usually requires little to no straining and no discomfort. The movement itself should fall in logs into the toilet approximately 4 or so inches in length, very similar to the length of a small sausage link. However many people may have bowels that are more ball shaped rather than logs and some have really long or thin movements.

3. Normal bowel movements are not overly stinky, however some bowel movements are and dietary changes can often produce many different odor changes.

4. The idea that it is normal to go everyday is not necessarily true. Frequency in bowel movements vary from person to person. I've had patients especially men that go everyday like clock work and get stressed when they don't go regular. However I've also had many people go only once every few days, which they report is normal for them.

Frequency of bowel movements has a lot to do with dietary constraints and the amount that one eats. Many women who do not eat much at a time will go less frequently, then say a man who eats hefty amounts and people who eat high fiber diets. If there is a rule of thumb it is 2 or 3 times a week is considered to be in the normal range as well as more than 2 or 3 watery stools in one day may indicate diarrhea. If a person has troublesome, hard and very infrequent bowel movements, it usually indicates constipation problems.

5. If your stool is discolored in any way, you should talk to your physician. In some cases it may be reflected of dietary problems, however it may also indicate a serious medical condition and all changes should be reported once they are noticed. Discolorations of bowels can be red, white, green, yellow and very black or tarry color.

The most important piece of information to remember is that everyone's bowel movements are somewhat different and most individuals when asked, know what is considered normal for them. Most people due to their diets and fluid intake will range in size, consistency, frequency and color to some degree. However if you notice any changes especially in frequency or color of your bowel movements you should consult with your physician.

Although most problems may not indicate anything serious, some changes can indicate serious medical problems such as the first signs of colon or digestive medical problems and should be reported as soon as possible.

References for this article include: health.msn.com/health-topics/digestive-health/articlepage.aspx
kidshealth.org/kid/stay_healthy/body/bowel.html
ezinearticles.com/ bowels