Competing with poop is a trouble for many people. Women, in particular, are more likely to experience constipation.
Studies have shown that the prevalence of chronic constipation in men and women is 1:1.22 to 1:4.56 [1].
Why do women already have menstruation and their stools are prone to problems!?
Hormone levels affect
Women have a special body mechanism – menstruation.
After entering the ovulation period, the secretion of progesterone in the female body will be more vigorous.
Progesterone inhibits muscle contraction, so bowel movement is weakened [2,3].
Image source: Tencent Medical Codex she knows
After menstruation, progesterone levels drop and the intestines become active again.
Therefore, some women will find that they are prone to constipation about 2 weeks before menstruation, and switch to "excretion mode" after menstruation [4].
Fertility damages the pelvic floor muscles
During normal bowel movements, in addition to the involvement of the muscles of the "chrysanthemum" and rectum, the coordination and cooperation of the pelvic floor muscle groups is also required.
However, pregnancy and childbirth in women will more or less damage the pelvic floor muscles, resulting in abnormal pelvic floor muscle function, lack of propulsion and increased resistance during rectal defecation [5,6].
Eat too little
The stool must reach a certain amount before the intestine activates the "emptying" mechanism.
If you diet too hard, it will cause the volume of stool to be insufficient, and it is difficult to stimulate intestinal peristalsis.
While food scraps wait for poop to accumulate enough, their moisture is constantly drained, becoming drier and harder, and it is less likely to be transported and emptied.
In addition, the "low-carbon diet" and "ketogenic diet" diet methods of Internet celebrities tend to significantly reduce the intake of foods rich in dietary fiber such as fruits and vegetables and whole grains, increasing the risk of constipation [7-9].
Image source: Tencent Medical Codex she knows
Eating laxatives hurts the stomach and intestines
Relatively speaking, women are more likely to use laxatives when seeking medical care for constipation[10], and some laxatives may overstimulate the nerve plexus of the gastrointestinal tract, resulting in decreased bowel movements.
The rectum is compressed
Diseases such as excessive uterine fibroids, uterine recline, and adenomyosis can cause compression of the rectum, which in turn can cause constipation [12].
Image source: Tencent Medical Codex she knows
Mental or psychological disorders
Nearly 60 percent of women with constipation develop mental or psychological disorders such as depression, anxiety, and interpersonal sensitivity [12].
If your stool has the following six characteristics that last for 2 months, it may indicate that you may have constipation [1,13]:
1
Stool less than 3 times in 1 week;
2
Laborious defecation;
3
Can't be discharged when there is a desire to defecate;
4
Feel a sense of obstruction in the anus when defecating, and even need assistance such as kaiser dew;
5
There is no euphoria after defecation, and the feeling is still not empty;
6
The stool is dry and hard.
Image source: Tencent Medical Codex she knows
It is recommended to go to the proctology department or gastroenterology department in time to register a number and check the cause.
The first thing to remind everyone is that before diagnosing constipation, it is still recommended to do a colonoscopy to check for organic lesions, such as colon cancer, intestinal tuberculosis, etc.
In life, these small habits also help constipation:
Regular bowel movements every day
The standing reflex of waking up in the morning can promote the development of stool intentions, and you can try to drink 1-2 glasses of warm water after getting up to stimulate intestinal peristalsis and try to defecate [14].
In addition, after eating, the "opening" of the gastrointestinal tract will also promote the collective peristalsis of the colon, so it is also possible to try to defecate within 2 hours after a meal [14].
Image credit: 123RF
Do not hold back the stool
When you have a poop, go to the toilet in time to pull, and concentrate, and the toilet to cultivate the "pull at first sight" reflex.
If it has not been discharged within two minutes, leave in time, do not force the row, do not play with the mobile phone or read a book.
Eat these foods in moderation (water-soluble dietary fiber)
If you rarely eat foods rich in dietary fiber, such as fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and legumes, you can increase their proportion in moderation.
Image source: Tencent Medical Codex she knows
Ensuring a dietary fiber intake of 20-35 grams per day [15] not only increases the volume of stool, but also helps to lose weight.
Whole grains: oats, brown rice, quinoa, black rice, millet, etc
Legumes: chickpeas, lentils, soybeans, kidney beans, black beans
Vegetables: broccoli, carrots, lettuce, spinach
Fruits: prunes, dragon fruit, plums, grapes, pears and other fruits rich in sorbitol, and kiwifruit
Exercise at least 3 times a week
Even moderate or strenuous exercise of 30 to 60 minutes at least three times a week, such as cycling or brisk walking, can improve constipation [1,16,17].
Image source: Tencent Medical Codex She Knows (Image adapted from the Department of Health, Hong Kong, China)
If you really don't have time, you can also walk for 10 minutes when you go to work, walk for 10 minutes after work and then take the car, sweep and mop the floor after you go home, and accumulate a little every day, adding up to 150 minutes.
In addition, you can also do Kegel exercises to exercise the pelvic floor muscles under the guidance of a doctor.
When sitting on the toilet is laborious, try a small bench
Compared with sitting defecation, the rectal lumen is straighter and the angle of the intestine is larger during squatting, and the stool does not need to be turned and is pulled faster.
Image source: Tencent Medical Codex she knows
If you prefer to sit on the toilet, you can also give the soles of your feet a small bench.
Abdominal massage
Massage clockwise from the lower right part of the abdomen to the left lower abdomen at regular intervals every day for 5 to 10 minutes, which has a certain relieving effect.
Finally, if constipation occurs, you must not eat detox tea, enzymes, "small powder pills" and other health care products that promote laxatives.
These are the hardest hit areas of laxatives and may contain irritating laxatives that act on the enteric nervous system.
Long-term heavy use may damage the intestinal nerves and lead to a weakening of colon motility, just like you keep whipping a pony that can't run, and at the end of the fight, the pony will be tired and can't move.
If constipation occurs, you should still go to a professional hospital and department for treatment under the guidance of a doctor.
Reviewer
Qu Mouwen | Chief Physician of the Department of Proctology, Guang'anmen Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences
Tai Wei Ping | Chief Physician, Department of Gastroenterology, Beijing Shijitan Hospital, Capital Medical University
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