What's a normal number of bowel movements for a person to have in a day? I'm in my 50s and have lots of loose bowel movements. I work hard, am physically fit, have a reasonable diet including roughage, flax oil and psyllium, so is it an issue? - J.V.
Although
it's easy for some people to obsess over the shape, colour and quantity of their stools, most of the time they needn't. Three bowel movements a day can be normal, and so can three bowel movements a week.
Medical definitions of "normal" vary when it comes to bowel movements; what probably matters more is your own personal range of normal.
It's a red flag if someone with formed stools develops persistent diarrhoea, or if a person with normally loose stools suddenly has trouble defecating. But within those extremes, there's room for a lot of variation.
Far more important than frequency is whether you also have dehydration, weight loss, rectal bleeding, abdominal tenderness or fever. Without these other features, diarrhoea or constipation is something that generally sorts itself out. With a modicum of physical activity, fibre and hydration, many colon problems will come right.
