5 Facts about Poo

going for a poo around four times a week. Less than this could mean you are constipated.

When you’re constipated, your bowel is too full of hard poo. This can make it painful to go for a poo.

If it’s painful when you try to go for a poo, it might make you avoid going again.

The problem with this though is that it will cause a build-up of hard poo in your bowel. Fresh, watery poo may then leak around the lump of hard poo into your underwear.

If the build-up of poo continues over time, your rectum (where your poo sits before you push it out) may stretch, and may take a while to shrink back to its usual size. This can mean your body finds it hard to sense when you need to do a poo.

One way of helping combat constipation is to drink plenty of water, at least 6-8 cups a day.  You need to eat a high fibre diet to keep your bowels working properly – that means lots of fruit, vegetables and cereals. If the problem carries on, visit your GP.

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