It’s not a particularly pleasant topic to discuss but it is something that we all do regularly and it is also something that can indicate a serious medical issue.
Everybody does number twos in the toilet but a survey has revealed that a third of people aren’t exactly sure what a ‘normal’ stool looks like.
According to the Mail Online, a UK survey conducted by Coloplast revealed that quite a lot of adults aren’t clued up about bowel health.
This is even more worrying when you consider that a quarter of those surveyed apparently had poo types that would not qualify as being ‘medically healthy.’
They were asked to identify which type of stool they had according to the medically-recognised Bristol Stool Chart.
The most common type (58 per cent) was a healthy stool – described as “sausage or snake-like, smooth and soft” – with another 17 per cent passing type 3, also considered healthy – “sausage-shaped but with cracks on the surface.”
Your bowel movements are important to monitor as they can point towards a range of health issues including constipation, Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), digestive or dietary problems, and even bowel cancer.
Coloplast’s ostomy care specialist, Debra Gordon, highlighted the importance of expressing concerns to your doctor. She explained:
“For instance, constipation is a common problem but the condition is often dismissed, or even laughed off, but if left untreated can lead to more serious health problems.
“We hope this study gets people thinking about their bowel health and gives them a better understanding of whether their stool type and pattern is healthy.
“For some, it might be that a simple lifestyle change is needed – but for others, this simple two-second stool self-assessment could be life changing.”
If you are concerned about your bowel movements or stools, it is important to speak to your doctor.
