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National Institutes of Health
Bowel Movement
Also called: BM, feces, poop, stool
A bowel movement is the last stop in the movement of food through your digestive tract. It is made of what is left after your digestive system (stomach, small intestine, and colon) absorbs nutrients and fluids from what you eat and drink. It's also called stool or feces. Stool passes out of the body through the rectum and anus.
Sometimes a bowel movement isn't normal. Diarrhea happens when stool passes through the large intestine too quickly. Constipation occurs when stool passes through the large intestine too slowly. Other abnormalities with bowel movements may be a sign of a digestive problem.
NIH: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
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Start Here
- Are Your Bowels Moving?(Nemours Foundation)
- Elimination Problems(American Academy of Family Physicians)
- Also available in Spanish
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Learn More
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Overviews
- Change in Bowel Habits(InteliHealth, Harvard Medical School)
- Normal Function of the Colon and Anorectal Area(International Foundation for Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders)
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Latest News
- Coffee May Speed Up Bowel Recovery from Colon Surgery(10/12/2012, HealthDay)
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Diagnosis/Symptoms
- Stool Color: When to Worry(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
- Stool Culture(American Association for Clinical Chemistry)
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Alternative Therapy
- Biofeedback & Bowel Disorders: Teaching Yourself to Live without the Problem(International Foundation for Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders)
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Disease Management
- Bowel Retraining: Strategies for Establishing Bowel Control(International Foundation for Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders)
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Specific Conditions
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Fecal Incontinence(National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)
- Frequent Bowel Movements(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
- Pelvic Floor Dysfunction(American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons)
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Fecal Incontinence
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Related Issues
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Bristol Stool Form Scale(National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)
- PDF
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Bristol Stool Form Scale
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Health Check Tools
- Abnormal Appearing Stool(DSHI Systems)
- Melena (Black Stool)(DSHI Systems)
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Videos
- If I Had - Bowel Control Issues(Insidermedicine)
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Clinical Trials
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Defecation(National Institutes of Health)
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Feces(National Institutes of Health)
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Defecation
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Journal Articles
References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
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Dictionaries/Glossaries
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Digestive Diseases Dictionary
(National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)
- Also available in Spanish
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Digestive Diseases Dictionary
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Organizations
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Statistics
- Prevalence of Bowel Incontinence(International Foundation for Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders)
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Children
- Bathroom Behaviors(American Academy of Pediatrics)
- Bowel Movements during Infancy(InteliHealth, Harvard Medical School)
- Constipation and Fecal Soiling(North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition) - PDF
- Also available in Spanish
- Elimination Problems in Infants and Children(American Academy of Family Physicians)
- Also available in Spanish
- Withholding Behavior(American Academy of Pediatrics)
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Patient Handouts
- Bloody or tarry stools
- Also available in Spanish
- Daily bowel care program
- Also available in Spanish
- External incontinence devices
- Also available in Spanish
- Stools - floating
- Also available in Spanish
- Stools - foul smelling
- Also available in Spanish
- Stools - pale or clay-colored
- Also available in Spanish
- Tenesmus
- Also available in Spanish
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You may also be interested in these related encyclopedia pages:
MEDICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA
