I’ve heard you should have a bowel movement every day, but I tend to only have about four or five a week—is that too few?
There’s no standard for how often one should have bowel movements, whether that’s more than once a day or just a few times a week.
A paper published more than a decade ago sought to determine “normal bowel habits.” The investigators recruited participants from a wide age range, young to old, and they were all examined by a gastroenterologist and evaluated for any conditions that affected their bowels. “Normal” frequency of bowel movements was confirmed to be anywhere from three times a day to three times a week.
In another older study, participants kept a diary for a month where they tracked their bowel habits. Same results: Bowel movements ranged from three a day to three a week.
A more recent review paper from 2021 noted that numerous studies done all over the world—from Sweden to Singapore—have also found that the overall range of bowel movement frequency for most people was between three a day and three a week.
So, it’s pretty clear that how often people poop is very much an individual thing. But for each individual, that frequency should be pretty consistent. “What matters is that an individual ‘fingerprint’ should ring true over time,” says Steven Jacobsohn, MD, Emeritus Professor of Gastroenterology at UC San Francisco and a member of our editorial board.
Various factors can, of course, alter how often you go, so you may deviate at times from your normal routine. These include changing what you eat, becoming dehydrated, traveling, experiencing stress, taking certain medications, and altering your activity level. Flare-ups of some bowel conditions like irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) also affect bowel frequency, as do other conditions such as lactose intolerance (if you consume dairy products), thyroid disease (both hyper- and hypothyroidism), and colon cancer. If you contract a foodborne illness from bacteria or a virus, that also will affect your bowel movements.
Whatever your regular bowel movement frequency is, as long as you don’t have any gastrointestinal symptoms like abdominal cramps, bloating, excess gas, or mucus or blood in the stool, that would be normal for you. For example, if you normally go several times a week and you’re not straining and your stools are not hard, then that’s fine. It’s also fine if you’re someone who routinely goes several times a day and the stools are formed (not liquidy).
According to Dr. Jacobsohn, there’s no consensus in the literature of what constitutes chronic constipation, but one general definition is passing fewer than three stools a week that are hard and usually accompanied by straining, over a three-month period. He adds, “If stools are hard and pass with straining, that should require intervention, as it could contribute to diverticulosis/itis, anal fissures, and hemorrhoids.”
On the other hand, Dr. Jacobsohn says, “I don’t think frequency of bowel movements has an upper limit of normal in a given individual unless the stools are loose; associated with mucus, blood, or cramps; or awaken one from sleep. Loose stools should also be evaluated to be sure there is no underlying problem—for example, an infection, colitis, or an autoimmune condition like celiac disease.”
BOTTOM LINE: The key in terms of poop frequency is to be aware of what’s normal for you. You may have brief changes in frequency because of factors mentioned above, such as dietary changes, stress, or dehydration. But if you notice a persistent change in your bowel habits and no apparent cause—especially if there is accompanying blood in the stool—you should see your healthcare provider promptly.
