A person's bowel movement and frequency is one of the factors being taken in consideration to determine the person's health condition. What considered as a good and normal bowel movement frequency depends on several factors.
Pradeep Kumar, MD, gastroenterologist at Austin Gastroenterology in Texas stated, "The average person poops about once a day, but anything in the range of three times a day to once every three days is considered normal. But if your poop habits don't fall within this range, don't fret: It's not necessarily cause for alarm." The important thing to consider is a person's consistency on his own habit, thus what considered as a normal bowel movement frequency is highly dependent on what is normal for a person.
The time a person spent on trying to have a bowel movement could also be influenced by some aspects. Genetics could be one of those as said by Kumar. A person's consistency of pooping might vary depending on his internal programming. Thus some have more frequent bowel movements than others.
A person's eating habit is also a critical factor to consider. "The consistency of your poop mostly depends on what you're eating or not eating. If you're eating lots of good-for-you fiber, your poo should look "bulked up." And if you're drinking a good amount of water, they shouldn't be hard at all. When your diet is lacking in either of these departments, your poop might look harder or smaller," says Gina Sam, M.D., director of the Mount Sinai Gastrointestinal Motility Center at Mount Sinai Hospital. Eating plenty of fruits, vegetable and whole grains are beneficial to have a consistent bowel movement.
Lawrence Brandt, MD, gastroenterologist at Montefiore Health System in New York stated, "How often you break a sweat also plays a role. Skimping on exercise can lead to slower motility in the gut." Exercising regulates the intestine's activity which stimulates the food digestion.
Menstruation could also affect the pattern of a person's bowel movement. Women who discharge more prostaglandins-the hormone that causes the uterus to produce waste, are more likely to experience changes in their bowel movement since the extra hormones provokes the bowel instead.
