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Definition
By Mayo Clinic staffThere's no generally accepted clinical definition for frequent bowel movements. Bowel habits vary widely among healthy people. Population studies indicate that most people have more than three bowel movements a week. Generally speaking, however, normal is what's normal for you.
Frequency of bowel movements also varies for individuals over time. You could have one bowel movement a day for years, and then begin to have two or three for no obvious reason. If your bowel movements increase in frequency but not in any other way — no loose, watery stools and abdominal cramping (diarrhea) or bloody stool — the change is probably not a sign of illness.
- Richter J. Approach to the patient with constipation. In: Goroll A, et al. Primary Care Medicine. 5th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2008. http://ovidsp.tx.ovid.com/spa/ovidweb.cgi. Accessed Aug. 5, 2009.
- Approach to the patient with lower GI complaints. The Merck Manuals: The Merck Manual for Healthcare Professionals. http://www.merck.com/mmpe/print/sec02/ch008/ch008a.html. Accessed Aug. 5, 2009.
- Colorectal cancer: Basic facts on screening. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. www.cdc.gov/cancer/Colorectal/pdf/fs-patient-basic.pdf. Accessed Aug. 5, 2009.
- Kojima M, et al. Bowel movement frequency and risk of colorectal cancer in a large cohort study of Japanese men and women. British Journal of Cancer. 2004;90:1397.
- Hyperthyroidism. The Merck Manuals: The Merck Manual for Healthcare Professionals. http://www.merck.com/mmpe/print/sec12/ch152/ch152e.html. Accessed Aug. 5, 2009.
