A:

You would be surprised at how many people have this sort of bowel irregularity.

Still, gastroenterologists consider three or more bowel movements a week normal. The fact that you usually have only two would place you in the “constipation” range.

At a doctor’s visit, you would be asked a set of questions to make sure that your constipation isn’t from something serious, such as a colon cancer that is blocking your bowels. Your doctor might ask:

• Do you have blood in your stool?
• Have you noticed any unexplained weight loss?
• Is the constipation of recent onset?
• Is the constipation getting worse week by week?

Your doctor might also order a blood test to rule out an underactive thyroid. That could cause a sluggish bowel as well.

If none of these apply to you, I would say your constipation is “functional,” meaning no medical causes that can be identified. This constipation is not caused by a large colon. But the colon might swell over time from of retained stool.

You did not ask about treatment, so I assume you’re not having lower discomfort or pain that is interfering with your daily activities in any way. But if this were the case, try an over-the-counter medicine for relief. There are a range of them: stool softeners (i.e. Colace), “saline” cathartics (i.e. milk of magnesia, Miralax) and stimulant cathartics (i.e. Senokot, Dulcolax). If your symptoms are extreme and won’t go away, talk with a gastroenterologist.