Doctors Say This Pooping Frequency Is the Most Healthy
Even though everybody uses the bathroom, there’s not a lot of talk around how often you should poop. So, if you find that you’re going more or less than usual, it’s understandable to wonder where you fall on the spectrum.
For the record, doctors stress that there is no hard and fast number that applies to everyone. However, there is a general range that’s considered normal, and knowing that you fall within that can give you peace of mind that you’re on the right track with your gut health.
Meet the experts: Rudolph Bedford, M.D., gastroenterologist at Providence Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, CA; Lance Uradomo, M.D., M.P.H., an assistant clinical professor, Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine at City of Hope Orange County.
With that in mind, here’s how often you should poop, according to gastroenterologists.
How often should you poop?
“Normal is anywhere from every day to every three days,” says Rudolph Bedford, M.D., gastroenterologist at Providence Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, CA. “Beyond three days is considered constipation.” (Constipation, in case you’re not familiar with it, is a problem with pooping and usually involves passing small, hard amounts of dry stool.)
But, again, everyone is different. “It’s important to know what your own pattern is so that you notice when it changes,” says Lance Uradomo, M.D., M.P.H., an assistant clinical professor, Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine at City of Hope Orange County.
Generally, doctors consider how often you go to be abnormal when the frequency suddenly changes, Dr. Uradomo says.
What can influence how often you go?
There are a lot of factors that can influence how often you poop. “Everybody’s diet is different,” Dr. Bedford says. “Their water intake is different, the amount of fiber they consume is different. And everybody’s gut microbiome is different and unique.” Hormonal shifts, including what stage of your menstrual cycle you’re in, can also play a role in how often you poop, he says.
All of those factors come together to dictate how often you poop, Dr. Bedford says. “But in this society, people really have this idea that having a bowel movement every single day is important—it’s not,” he says. “Everyone has a different pattern.”
How to stay regular
If you’ve always pooped every other day or some variation of that and things are still consistent, you’re fine to keep doing what you’re doing. But if you’re getting off-track a little or dealing with some constipation, doctors say there are a few things you can do to stay regular.
Eat a diet rich in fiber (25 grams or more is recommended)
Drink plenty of water (the National Academies’ Institute of Medicine recommends that men get about 15.5 cups of fluids a day while women get about 11.5 cups from food and drink)
Exercise regularly (aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise a week)
Limit processed foods, sugary snacks, alcohol, and caffeine
“It is also helpful for some people to eat and go to the bathroom at the same time every day,” Dr. Uradomo says, noting that this can keep your pooping schedule regular.
If you feel like you’re getting a little off your regular schedule, Dr. Bedford suggests slowly increasing your fluid and fiber intake. (If you ramp it up too fast, you run the risk of getting bloated, he says.)
When to see a doctor about your pooping frequency
Again, there’s no need to stress about your pooping frequency if it’s been pretty consistent for you. But if you’ve noticed that things have shifted, they’re staying that way, and you’re not sure why, Dr. Bedford says it’s not a bad idea to get checked out. That’s especially true if you’re having other symptoms, like abdominal discomfort, very watery or narrow poop, or bloody poop, Dr. Uradomo says.
“That’s when you should go see someone,” Dr. Bedford says. “Something else could be going on.”
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