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When to see a doctor
By Mayo Clinic staffIf you've made lifestyle changes that can contribute to having more frequent bowel movements, and you have no other signs or symptoms, you're probably in good health. Make an appointment with your doctor, however, if you're experiencing:
- Changes in the consistency, volume or appearance of your bowel movements, such as repeatedly passing narrow, ribbon-like stools or loose, watery stools
- Abdominal pain
- Blood, mucus or pus in your feces
References
- Understanding constipation. American Gastroenterological Association. http://www.gastro.org/patient-center/digestive-conditions/constipation. Accessed Oct. 7, 2011.
- Irritable bowel syndrome. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/ibs/. Accessed Oct. 11, 2011.
- Sanjoaquin MA, et al. Nutrition and lifestyle in relation to bowel movement frequency: A cross-sectional study of 20,630 men and women in EPIC-Oxford. Public Health Nutrition. 2004;7:77.
- Fry RD, et al. Colon and rectum. In: Townsend CM Jr, et al. Sabiston Textbook of Surgery: The Biological Basis of Modern Surgical Practice. 18th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2008. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/208746819-6/0/1565/0.html. Accessed Oct. 11, 2011.
- Cook IJ, et al. Colonic motor and sensory function and dysfunction. In: Feldman M, et al. Sleisenger & Fordtran's Gastrointestinal and Liver Disease: Pathophysiology, Diagnosis, Management. 9th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2010. http://www.mdconsult.com/books/about.do?eid=4-u1.0-B978-1-4160-6189-2..X0001-7--TOP&isbn=978-1-4160-6189-2&about=true&uniqId=229935664-2192. Accessed Oct. 11, 2011.
- Farrell RJ, et al. Celiac disease and refractory celiac disease. In: Feldman M, et al. Sleisenger & Fordtran's Gastrointestinal and Liver Disease: Pathophysiology, Diagnosis, Management. 9th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2010. http://www.mdconsult.com/books/about.do?eid=4-u1.0-B978-1-4160-6189-2..X0001-7--TOP&isbn=978-1-4160-6189-2&about=true&uniqId=229935664-2192. Accessed Oct. 11, 2011.
- Mandel SJ, et al. Thyrotoxicosis. In: Kronenberg HM, et al. Williams Textbook of Endocrinology. 12th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2011. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/191205553-3/0/1555/0.html#. Accessed Oct. 11, 2011.
- Wilkinson JM (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. Oct. 11, 2011.
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