Your bowel movements are a good barometer to measure your health. You just have to look at various aspects, such as how often you go to the bathroom and how your stools are. Take our test and find out what your poop says about your health.
IF YOU SEE BLOOD IN THE STOOLS …
When the stool acquires a brown or bright red color, there may be alterations in the colon, although it can also be due to a hemorrhoid problem. The blood may be mixed with or surround the stool and there may be bleeding before or after bowel movements.
Consult immediately. This symptom is usually the one that can most clearly reveal colon cancer, so you should not delay in going to the doctor's office.
What tests can the doctor do? The doctor will take a medical history, order a blood and urine test, and perform a rectal palpation to look for changes in the walls of the rectum. In addition, he will do a test for hidden blood in the stool. If it is positive, the doctor may recommend a colonoscopy. This test can be done for prevention from the age of 50, but that depends on where you live.
And if you notice changes in your bowel movements, keep in mind that there can be many reasons. We tell you some of the main ones:
WHY DOES IT SOMETIMES COST MORE ON HOLIDAYS?
The colon also "sleeps." For most of the night it is inactive and within minutes after waking up it has peaks of activity. If you are on vacation in a country with a different schedule and your sleep and wake cycles are no longer regular, the colon can become "disoriented" and your times to go to the bathroom become deregulated.
WHY DOES IT COST MORE TO GO IF IT IS NOT YOUR BATHROOM?
As Dr. Fernando Azpiroz explains, “the defecation maneuver is learned. There are those who do it normally and do not care where they are because it is easier ”. Sometimes it is a problem that one has since childhood and other times it appears, for example, due to an anal infection. If it is an extreme case, the doctor may recommend correcting it, for example, with treatments such as anorectal biofeedback.
WHY DO I HAVE MORE PROBLEMS WITH THE RULE?
According to Dr. Fernando Azpiroz, "the hormonal changes that occur with menstruation and ovulation can affect intestinal function." For this reason, during your period and when you are ovulating, it can be normal that it costs you more to go to the bathroom and even that you have constipation, although in some cases the stools are looser and diarrhea occurs.
WHY DO ANTIBIOTICS SOMETIMES CAUSE DIARRHEA?
“The intestinal microbiota is considered one more organ of the body. And the colon is like a marsupial bag that provides a suitable environment for these bacteria ”, explains the expert. Antibiotics kill some of these healthy bacteria, and one of the associated side effects can be diarrhea. According to some studies, taking probiotics can help rebalance your intestinal flora and return your bowel movements to normal.
WHY DOES STRESS INFLUENCE THE WAY OF CACA?
Stress can make it difficult to evacuate, especially if it usually costs you a bit under normal conditions. The alertness that a stressful situation triggers in your body can cause food to circulate more slowly through the intestine, increasing the risk of constipation. But it can also accelerate colon contractions, which can end up causing diarrhea.
YOU MAY ALSO BE CURIOUS TO KNOW …
- Why do some people go to the bathroom better than others? It is not entirely clear why, but there are people who have it easier when it comes to going to the bathroom. There are studies that suggest that some problems such as irritable bowel syndrome could be hereditary, but it is not entirely defined to what extent genetics, diet or habits that we inherit from our family affect when visiting the toilet.
- Does the size of the poop matter? Size does matter, but not as much as shape and texture. One of the factors that makes them large is food. Eating a lot of fiber (fruit, vegetables, whole grains, legumes …) can make your stool softer and larger. And if you delay a bowel movement, your stool becomes hard, compacted, and dry, and costs more to remove.
- Does stool float or sink mean something bad? No it does not matter. "Normally, feces have a density similar to that of water, but there may be small variations in this density that make them float or sink," explains the specialist. It all depends on the gas content: if the stool is fluffier, it will float; and if they are more compact, they will go to the bottom.
