Condition: Change in Bowel Habits

Bowel habits can vary from person to person, day to day. However a sudden and noticeable change to your bowel habit can be suggestive of an underlying health issue.

Overview

Bookings: bookings.digestivehealth@onewelbeck.com

Tel: 020 3653 2009

What are the most
common changes in bowel habits?

Bowel habits can vary from person to person, day to day. However a sudden and noticeable change to your bowel habit can be suggestive of an underlying health issue – such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) or bowel cancer. Therefore, it is important to look out for a number of red flags, when it comes to your bowel movements. Red flags to consider include the following:

  • abdominal cramps and pain
  • diarrhoea
  • constipation
  • bloating
  • bloody stools
  • fatigue
  • weight loss

What is
constipation?

Constipation can happen for many reasons, such as when stool passes through the colon too slowly. The slower the food moves through the digestive tract, the more water the colon will absorb and the harder the faeces will become. A person who passes stool fewer than 3 times per week may have constipation. Sometimes, constipation results from a blockage in the large intestine. In this case, a person will need urgent medical attention. At other times, it may simply be due to a lack of fibre or water.

The main symptoms of constipation are:

  • difficulty passing stool
  • straining when passing stool
  • passing less stool than usual
  • lumpy, dry, or hard stool

Other symptoms include:

  • pain and cramping in the abdomen
  • feeling bloated
  • nausea
  • a loss of appetite

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Condition overview
Change in Bowel Habits

Symptoms

Abdominal cramps and pain, diarrhoea, constipati...

Change in Bowel Habits Specialists

We have brought together a group of leading colorectal and general surgeons and gastroenterologists to create our Digestive Health team. With over 300 years of combined experience, these expert clinicians are the best in their field and are all focused on delivering the very best patient care.

Dr Lisa Das

Consultant Gastroenterologist

Specialist expertise: Endoscopy, Colorectal Cancer Screening, Colonoscopy, Gastroenterology, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Emphasis on Women's Healthcare, Therapeutic Endoscopy, Diagnostic Endoscopy, Bowel Cancer Screening, Capsule Endoscopy, Gastroscopy, Endoscopic Mucosal Resection, Advanced Polypectomy, Abnormal Liver Function, Constipation, Diarrhoea, Dyspepsia, Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease, General Hepatology, Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Percutaneous Endoscopic Gastrostomy, Polypectomy, Rectal Bleeding, Functional Gut Disorders, Obesity, Coeliac Disease, Helicobacter Pylori Infection, Gastrointestinal Bleeding.

Dr Ana Wilson

Consultant Gastroenterologist

Specialist expertise: Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Gastroenterology, Colonoscopy, Endoscopy, Endoscopic Mucosal Resection, Stricture Dilatation, Radiation Proctopathy, Pelvic Radiation Disease, Lower Anterior Resection Syndrome.

Professor Julian Teare

Consultant Gastroenterologist

Specialist expertise: Colonoscopy, Colon Cancer Screening, Abdominal Pain, Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Gastroenterology, Diarrhoea, Colonic Polyps.

Dr Simon Peake

Consultant Gastroenterologist

Specialist expertise: Endoscopy, Acid Reflux, Management of Acid-Related Disorders, Abdominal Pain, Changes in Bowel Habit, Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Gastroenterology, Gastrointestinal Medicine, Colonoscopy, Gastroscopy, Advanced Polypectomy, Polypectomy, Endoscopic Mucosal Resection, Capsule Endoscopy, Diarrhoea, Bowel Cancer, Bowel Cancer Screening, Colonic Polyps, Gastrointestinal Bleeding, Bloating.

Professor Paris Tekkis

Consultant Colorectal Surgeon

Specialist expertise: Minimally Invasive Surgery, Robotic Surgery, General Surgery, Anal Fistula, Colonoscopy, Flexible Sigmoidoscopy, Colorectal Surgery, Laparoscopic Procedures (Keyhole Surgery), HIV-related Anal Pathology, Abdominal Wall Hernias, Hernia Surgery, Colorectal Cancer, Surgery Centre, Crohn's Disease, Ulcerative Colitis, Rectal Cancer, Anal Cancer, Anal fissure, Diverticular Disease, Haemorrhoids, Small Bowel Cancer, Recurrent Pelvic Cancer.

Mr Shahnawaz Rasheed

Consultant Colorectal Surgeon

Specialist expertise: Abdominal Wall Hernias, Groin Hernias, HIV-related Anal Pathology, General Surgery, Laparoscopic Procedures (Keyhole Surgery), Colorectal Surgery, Robotic Surgery, Colorectal Cancer, Colonoscopy, Bowel Cancer, Rectal Cancer, Anal Cancer, Crohn's Disease, Ulcerative Colitis, Diverticular Disease, Anal Fistula, Anal fissure, Haemorrhoids, Rectal Bleeding.

Professor Daniel Forton

Consultant Gastroenterologist and Hepatologist

Specialist expertise: Hepatology, Hepatobiliary Medicine, Liver Disease, Endoscopy, Colonoscopy, ERCP, Gastroenterology, Fibroscan, Liver Biopsy, Gastroscopy, Flexible Sigmoidoscopy, Fatty Liver Disease, Liver Cirrhosis, Abnormal Liver Function, Abdominal Pain, Changes in Bowel Habit, Viral Hepatitis, Liver Function Tests.

Dr Andrew Poullis

Consultant Gastroenterologist

Specialist expertise: Luminal Gastroenterology, Endoscopy, Gastroenterology, Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Bowel Cancer Screening, Indigestion, Bowel Disorders.

Ms Sarah Mills

Consultant Colorectal Surgeon

Specialist expertise: Trans-anal Minimally Invasive Surgery (TAMIS), Abdominal Wall Hernias, Groin Hernias, General Surgery, Colorectal Cancer, Anal Cancer, Anal Fistula, Pelvic Floor Disorders, Gastrointestinal Surgery, Colonoscopy, Laparoscopic Procedures (Keyhole Surgery), Minimally Invasive Surgery, Diverticular Disease, Crohn's Disease, Ulcerative Colitis, Haemorrhoids, Anal fissure, Rectal Prolapse, Faecal Incontinence, Anal Intraepithelial Neoplasia.

Mr Chris Nicolay

Consultant Colorectal and General Surgeon

Specialist expertise: Endoscopy, Hernia Repair, Haemorrhoids, Anal Fistula, Anal fissure, Anal Cancer, Minimally Invasive Surgery, Bowel Disease, Colonoscopy, Flexible Sigmoidoscopy, General Surgery.

Dr Angad Dhillon

Consultant Gastroenterologist

Specialist expertise: Bowel Cancer Screening, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Coeliac Disease, Eosinophilic Oesophagitis, Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease, Changes in Bowel Habit, Bloating, Gastroenterology.

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