Constipation
(Hard poo)
Let’s yarn about this
Constipation (hard poo)
Constipation is when you have trouble pushing hard
and dry poo out of the bowel.
The bowel is the tube that takes the food from
your stomach through to where you pass poo.
Some people poo after every meal. Some people
only poo 3 times in a week. Both are OK as long as
the poo isn’t too hard or too runny.
Hard poo is a problem because:
• Pushing out hard poo weakens the muscles that hold in
the wee and poo. Weak muscles can cause your bladder
and bowel to leak.
hard poo
• Pushing can cause small lumps called haemorrhoids
around your bottom which can bleed and get sore.
• Hard poo in the bowel can press on the bladder
and can make bladder problems worse. Sometimes this
can make you rush to the toilet to wee a lot. You might
not make it. Sometimes this can stop the wee from
coming out.
soft poo
Hard poo can get worse if you:
•
•
•
•
don’t eat enough fibre
don’t drink enough water
take medicine for pain or other illnesses
don’t do enough exercise.
How to stop getting hard poo
• Eat more fibre to keep your bowel healthy
and working well. Fibre helps the poo move through
the body.
• Drink fluid every day. Fluid is everything you drink.
Fluid includes milk, juice and soup. The best fluid to
drink is water. This can help keep the poo soft.
• Take a walk every day. Exercise helps the poo move
through the body.
Healthy diet and bowels
• Fibre helps to keep poo soft.
• Fibre is in fresh fruit (such as apples
and oranges) and vegetables (such as
carrots, pumkpin and potatoes).
• Frozen and tinned fruit and vegetables
are good too.
• Grainy breads, brown rice and cereals are also
high in fibre.
• Dried soup mix and beans are good fibre
to mix into stews or soups.
• Baked beans, kidney beans and green beans
also have a lot of fibre.
Good toilet habits
• Go to the toilet when you first feel you need to poo.
Don’t put it off. This feeling is often about half an hour
after food (usually breakfast).
• Sit down on the toilet, lean forward and relax with your
stomach muscles pushed out. Breathe slowly and try
not to push or strain.
back straight
lean forward
stomach out
• Some medicines can cause hard poo. Keep taking your
medicines but talk to your health worker about this.
Tell your doctor or health worker if you have
any changes to your poo, such as:
• you have constipation (hard poo) or diarrhoea (runny poo)
• you have pain
• you see any blood in your poo
• your poo leaks out.
These things can mean you may have another problem with your
bowel. If you do, it is best to get help straight away.
Talk to your health worker, nurse or doctor
Who can help?
• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health service
• Health workers
• Nurses
• Doctors
• Dieticians
• Physiotherapists
• National Continence Helpline 1800 33 00 66
Notes
Supported by funding from the Australian Government under the
National Continence Program.
This series of brochures has been designed for use in Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander communities.
Artwork created by Georgina Altona and Warwick Keen.
Other illustrations by JAT Illustrational and Fusebox Design.
© 2016