poop. how many times i week?, yes, i know this is odd. Options

[voguelove]

yea, i think my bowels are weird. i only poo once a week. twice a week if im lucky. it's usually every 5 days or so.

but then again..i sit on the toilet till i get everything out. so im spending 15-20 minutes on a toilet. hah.

[anoniez]

Sorry for the upcoming lecture but this is a definite health issue!

Going only once a week is very bad for you, medically speaking. It's known as chronic constipation. It predisposes you to colon cancer, esp with family history, and it's generally unhealthy to keep all that stuff inside. It can lead to other problems later in life like hemorrhoids, diverticulitus, rectal prolapse, impacted stool, etc.

What happens is basically, the more you hold it in the more you CAN hold, because your intestine stretches and the muscles become looser when you hold all that in. Then when you expel it, the muscles aren't used to working and the intestine is floppy and loose. The more you do it the worse it gets. By the time you are older you might be up to once every TWO or even three weeks. I know a woman who does that and she has an extremely bad gas problem and is not pleasant to be around for that reason, as well as other gastrointestinal issues.

Honestly I would recommend you to start taking a laxative to start having regular bowel movements maybe once every two or three days (might want to see a doctor or try other things first). Some people only need to go once every couple of days but a week is too long. Also you should see your doctor about this, and be aware of any family history of colon cancer. Try eating more fiber, drinking more water and getting more exercise -- all of these things speed the passage of stool through the bowels. You can google chronic constipation for more info.

Again.. sorry for the lecture.. but it should be a cause of concern for you!