Health Information Library

Definition

Frequent bowel movements means having more bowel movements than what's usual for you. There's no set number that means you have frequent bowel movements. You may think several per day are unusual, especially if that’s different from what you usually have. Frequent bowel movements without other symptoms might be caused by your lifestyle, like eating more fiber. Symptoms like watery stools and belly cramps might show a problem.

Causes

If you're having formed bowel movements more often, chances are you've made some change in your lifestyle. For example, you may be eating more whole grains, which raises how much fiber you get in your diet.

More-frequent bowel movements could also be caused by a mild illness that will take care of itself. If there are no other symptoms, you're probably in good health.

Diseases and other conditions that may cause frequent bowel movements and other symptoms include:

• Salmonella infection or other infections that may be caused by bacteria.
• Rotavirus or infections caused by other viruses.
• Giardia infection (giardiasis) or other infections caused by parasites.
• Irritable bowel syndrome — a group of symptoms that affect the stomach and intestines.
• Antibiotic-associated diarrhea or other problems caused by medicines.
• Celiac disease
• Crohn's disease — which causes tissues in the digestive tract to become inflamed.
• Ulcerative colitis — a disease that causes ulcers and swelling called inflammation in the lining of the large intestine.
• Lactose intolerance
• Hyperthyroidism (overactive thyroid) also known as overactive thyroid.

When to see a doctor

See a healthcare professional if you have the following symptoms and more-frequent bowel movements:

• Changes in what your bowel movements look like or how large they are, such as passing narrow, ribbonlike stools or loose, watery stools.
• Stomach pain.
• Blood or mucus in your feces.