What Causes Constipation and How Can It Be Treated?

Constipation is one of the key warning signs of digestive health issues, often linked to lifestyle and dietary habits. If left untreated and becomes chronic, it can lead to serious health problems. This article explains the causes, potential related conditions, and treatment options for constipation.

What Causes Constipation?

Constipation occurs when you are unable to pass stool or go several days without bowel movements. Chronic constipation can negatively impact your physical health and quality of life. It is commonly caused by factors such as:

Lifestyle and Dietary Habits

Eating low-fiber foods, drinking insufficient water, consuming too much meat or dairy, and lacking physical activity can all impair normal bowel function and cause constipation.

Certain Medications

Some medications—such as opioid painkillers, certain blood pressure drugs, psychiatric medications, cancer treatments, antacids, gastrointestinal muscle relaxants, stomach-coating agents, and iron supplements—can have constipation as a side effect.

Underlying Medical Conditions

Conditions like diabetes, irritable bowel syndrome, hypothyroidism, or pregnancy can disrupt hormonal balance and affect bowel movements.

Abnormal Colon Function

When the colon does not function properly or moves too slowly, stool travels slowly through the digestive tract, resulting in constipation.

What Are the Symptoms of Constipation?

If you’re unsure whether you have chronic constipation, look out for these signs:

• Less frequent bowel movements—fewer than three times per week
• Hard, large stools difficult to pass, or small pellet-like stools
• Straining during bowel movements or taking a long time to pass stool
• Pain during bowel movements or presence of blood in stool
• Bloating, abdominal cramps, and discomfort

Health Conditions Related to Constipation

Constipation not only affects day-to-day life and causes discomfort but may also lead to other serious medical conditions:

Hemorrhoids

Hemorrhoids are swollen blood vessels around the anal lining caused by prolonged and forceful straining, often accompanied by pain and bleeding during bowel movements.

Cardiovascular Issues

For individuals with heart or vascular conditions, chronic constipation and forceful straining can increase the risk of stroke, heart attack, or aggravate existing heart disease.

Intestinal Obstruction

When stool accumulates in the intestines, it may cause blockage, resulting in abdominal pain, bloating, and discomfort. Severe cases may require surgical removal of part of the colon.

Pelvic Floor Muscle Weakness

Straining intensively during bowel movements can weaken and stretch pelvic floor muscles, leading to urinary incontinence.

Hernia

Excessive straining can also lead to hernias—when the intestines protrude through weakened abdominal muscles—and may result in complications like strangulation or bloodstream infection if untreated.

Treatment and Prevention Methods for Constipation

Behavioral and Lifestyle Changes

To avoid constipation, it’s essential to adopt better daily habits: eating fiber-rich foods such as fruits and vegetables, drinking adequate water, and increasing physical activity. According to the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) and the Institute of Medicine (IOM), water intake recommendations are:

• Women: about 2.7 liters daily
• Men: about 3.7 liters daily

Also, do not hold your stool—if you feel the urge, go to the bathroom promptly. Regular exercise and movement help promote healthy bowel motility and prevent stool retention.

Use of Laxative Medications

For severe constipation, medical treatment may involve medications that stimulate bowel muscle contractions or promote water and electrolyte secretion into the intestines. Such treatment should always be under specialist supervision.

Surgical Treatment

In cases of chronic constipation due to slow or impaired colon movement where medications fail, doctors may prescribe further evaluation and consider partial colon surgery.

Chronic constipation should not be ignored—it can have long-term consequences on your health. If you are experiencing frequent constipation, don’t hesitate to seek diagnosis and treatment at the Gastroenterology Clinic of Synphaet Lam Luk Ka Hospital.
Specialist gastroenterology center at Synphaet Lam Luk Ka Hospital offers expert care.

For appointments or more information, call 02‑006‑9999