A bowel movement is the last stop in food's journey through the digestive tract: stool (also called feces) leaves the body through the rectum and anus.
What stool is
It is what is left over after the digestive system — the stomach, small intestine and colon — has absorbed the nutrients and fluids from what you eat and drink.
When something is wrong
| Problem | What happens |
|---|---|
| Diarrhoea | stool passes through the large intestine too quickly |
| Constipation | stool passes through the large intestine too slowly |
| Bowel incontinence | trouble controlling bowel movements |
Other changes in bowel movements may be a sign of a digestive problem.
Sources
- "Bowel Movement," MedlinePlus, U.S. National Library of Medicine, drawing on the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIH). https://medlineplus.gov/bowelmovement.html
- Rewritten in hubnx's own words.
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Licence: CC0 1.0 (public domain) · Adapted from medlineplus.gov
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