Exams and Tests

Your health care provider may ask you several questions, conduct a physical exam, and perform certain lab tests to find out possible causes of your constipation.

• Your answers to these questions will help your doctor assess your condition and plan treatment options.
  • What are your normal bowel habits?

  • How long have you had difficulty in passing stool?

  • When was the last time you passed stool?

  • Are you able to pass gas?

  • Do you experience any abdominal or anal pain?

  • Could you indicate with your finger the site of your pain?

  • How would you describe your abdominal pain?

  • Have you noticed any changes in your body temperature?

  • Have you tried any medication? Did it help?

  • Do you usually take laxatives or an enema? If yes, what type of laxatives and how many tablets per day do you usually take?

  • Do you feel that you always need laxatives to pass stool?

  • Do you have any other symptoms?

  • Any changes in your appetite?

  • Any changes in your body weight?

  • Do you feel better after passing stools?

  • Do you feel sick? Have you thrown up?

  • Any hospital admission or investigations for similar illness?

  • Are you pregnant?

  • Do you smoke cigarettes? When did you start smoking? How many cigarettes do you smoke per day?

  • Do you drink alcohol? Coffee? Tea?

  • Do you use drugs? Any medications?

  • Have you ever had surgery? What surgery? When?

  • Any joint pain, eye problems, back or neck pain, or skin changes?

  • Do you usually prefer the warm weather?

  • Do you usually feel tired?

  • Do you have a family history of constipation or bowel cancer?

• Your health care provider will examine your abdomen, anus, and other body systems including the nervous system, the thyroid gland (for any goiter), and the musculoskeletal system. What the provider examines will depend on your answers to the questions and any history that may suggest certain disorders.

• Your provider will decide which tests you need based on your symptoms, history, and exam. These tests will help assess the actual cause of the problem. The most commonly used tests may include the following:
  • Lab tests
    • Examining a stool sample under a microscope

    • Full blood count and blood film

    • Thyroid function tests if hypothyroidism suspected
      

  • Imaging
    • Upright plain x-ray of your chest and abdomen - May show free air from intestinal perforation or signs of intestinal obstruction

    • Barium enema - May reveal a normal sized colon

    • Assessment of food movement - May demonstrate a prolonged and delayed transit time
      

  • Procedures
    • Sigmoidoscopy - May help to detect problems in your rectum and lower colon. Your doctor will insert a flexible lighted instrument through your anus to visualize the rectum and the lower intestine.

    • Colonoscopy - Using an internal examination, your doctor can confirm the diagnosis of irritable bowel syndrome by ruling out more serious disorders. The doctor also may take tissue biopsies for further studies to assess the cause underlying your symptoms.