Common, but not normal
Days go by without opening your bowels. When you do, you have to strain, it takes a long time, and you are left feeling it has not all come out. Your tummy is bloated, heavy, uncomfortable. Many women have lived like this for years and think “that’s just how my bowels are”.
Constipation is very common — in pregnancy because of hormones, after birth through fear of straining on the stitches, in menopause, with stress and rushed routines. But living with a sluggish bowel does not have to be normal, and repeated straining overloads the pelvic floor.
What may be at the root
- A pelvic floor that does not relax. To empty your bowels, the muscles around the anus need to let go. If they tighten instead, it is like trying to leave through a closed door.
- Position on the toilet. Sitting upright, the bowel has a bend that makes emptying harder. With your knees above your hips, the path is clearer.
- Visceral mobility. Surgery, caesareans, endometriosis or abdominal tension can restrict how the bowel moves.
- Habits and rhythm. Too little water, fibre or movement, and putting off the urge to go.
- Hormones and the nervous system. Pregnancy progesterone slows the bowel down, and so does stress.
How we can help
In the consultation we talk about your habits, diet, sleep and medical history, and we assess breathing, abdominal mobility and — with your consent — pelvic floor coordination.
Pelvic physiotherapy teaches you to relax and coordinate the muscles when opening your bowels, to breathe without excessive straining and to build routines. Visceral osteopathy gently works on the mobility of the abdomen and bowel. Acupuncture may be a complement. For babies and children, paediatric osteopathy is always carried out alongside the paediatrician.
What you can do now
- Use a footstool. Feet supported, knees above hips, leaning slightly forward.
- Don’t strain holding your breath. Breathe out slowly, as if through a straw, and let your tummy gently expand.
- Make time. After breakfast the bowel is usually more active; give it a few unhurried minutes — and drink water through the day.
If this sounds like you, get in touch. Your gut is talking too.