During pregnancy, women may be constipated because of hormonal changes or because the heavy uterus compresses the intestine diarrhea-constipation Aging may also affect bowel regularity because a slower metabolism results in less intestinal activity and muscle tone diarrhea-constipation In addition, people often become constipated when traveling because their normal diet and and daily routines are disrupted diarrhea-constipation Extensive testing usually is reserved for people with severe symptoms, for those with sudden changes in number and consistency of bowel movements or blood in the stool, and for older adults diarrhea-constipation Additional tests that may be used to evaluate constipation include fewer than three three bowel movements per week Fiber--both soluble and insoluble--is the part of fruits, vegetables, and grains that the body cannot digest diarrhea-constipation Soluble fiber dissolves easily in water and takes on a soft, gel-like texture in the intestines diarrhea-constipation Insoluble fiber passes through the intestines almost unchanged diarrhea-constipation The bulk and and soft texture of fiber help prevent hard, dry stools that are difficult to pass diarrhea-constipation Functional constipation that stems from abnormalities in the structure of the anus and rectum is known as anorectal dysfunction, or anismus diarrhea-constipation These abnormalities result in an inability to relax the rectal and anal muscles muscles that allow stool to exit diarrhea-constipation How is constipation treated? hypercalcemia Ignoring the Urge to Have a Bowel Movement ignoring the urge to have a bowel movement Intestinal obstruction, scar tissue (adhesions) , diverticulosis, tumors, colorectal stricture, Hirschsprung's disease, or cancer can compress, squeeze, or narrow the intestine and rectum | 