Also called: BM · Feces · Poop · Stool
Important: This page is general information, not medical advice. It does not recommend or prescribe any treatment. Always consult your doctor or pharmacist before starting, stopping or changing any medicine.
About Bowel Movement
A bowel movement is the last stop in the movement of food through your digestive tract. Your stool passes out of your body through the rectum and anus. Another name for stool is feces. It is made of what is left after your digestive system (stomach, small intestine, and colon) absorbs nutrients and fluids from what you eat and drink.
Sometimes a bowel movement isn't normal. Diarrhea happens when stool passes through the large intestine too quickly. Constipation occurs when stool passes through the large intestine too slowly. Bowel incontinence is a problem controlling your bowel movements. Other abnormalities with bowel movements may be a sign of a digestive problem.
It sits within Digestive System.
When to speak to someone. Reading about a topic cannot tell you whether it applies to you. Speak to a doctor or pharmacist if symptoms are severe, sudden, getting worse, or simply not going away — and seek emergency care immediately for chest pain, breathing difficulty, sudden weakness or confusion, or a serious allergic reaction.
Research on Bowel Movement
427 studies areregistered for this condition on ClinicalTrials.gov, the U.S. National Library of Medicine's public registry. A selection is below — the links go straight to the registry entry, not to a summary of ours.
What a registered study does and does not mean. Registration means a study exists and has been declared publicly. It says nothing about whether the treatment being tested works, is safe, or is available to you. Many studies find no benefit — that is what research is for. Never seek out an experimental treatment on the strength of a registry entry alone.
Research currently under way
- Study of Transanal Irrigation vs Standard Care for Constipation, Gut Microbiota, and Motor Disorders in Parkinson's DiseaseUniversity Hospital of Ferrara
- The Relationship Between Pelvic Floor Dysfunction and Quality of Life, Functional Capacity, Gait Parameters, and Static Balance in Children With Defecation DisordersIzmir Bakircay University
- Intra-Corporeal Anastomosis Result in Quicker Return of Bowel Function/Earlier DischargeCorewell Health West
- Effectiveness of Video-Based Movement Analysis-Guided Personalized Rehabilitation in Patients With CIPN: A Multicenter TrialSeoul National University Bundang Hospital
- Autologous Fecal Microbiota Transplantation for Anal Function Recovery After Ileostomy Reversal in Rectal CancerPeking University People's Hospital
- Intestinal Levodopa + Entacapone Therapy (Lecigon®) to Counteract Dopaminergic Desensitization and Neuropsychiatric Complications in Parkinson's DiseaseUniversity Hospital Tuebingen
Research already completed
- Effect of Postoperative Oral Rinsing on Dehydration-Related Discomfort, Comfort, and Bowel SoundsCumhuriyet University
- Effect of Pre-operative Carbohydrate Loading on Return of Bowel Function After Reversal of IleostomyIndus Hospital and Health Network
- Puborectalis Syndrome as a Phenotype of Dyssynergic Defecation in Chronic Constipation: a Comparative Study of Defecography,High-resolution Anorectal Manometry, and Pelvic Floor UltrasoundThird Military Medical University
- Psychiatric Disorder in Dysnergic DefecationAssiut University
- Impact of Bladder Depletion on Mesorectal Movements During Radiotherapy in Rectal CancerInstitut Cancerologie de l'Ouest
Study data from ClinicalTrials.gov, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine. Retrieved 2026-07-30. Registry entries are supplied by study sponsors and investigators; ClinicalTrials.gov does not verify their scientific validity. PocketsInfo is not affiliated with, and not endorsed by, the NLM or the NIH.
Where to read more
Rather than paraphrase, we point you to the primary sources. Every link below is to a government health agency, a national institute or a recognised medical body — grouped by what you are trying to find out.
Start Here
- Bowel Retraining: Strategies for Establishing Bowel ControlInternational Foundation for Gastrointestinal Disorders
- Normal Function (of the Colon)International Foundation for Gastrointestinal Disorders
Diagnosis and Tests
- Bacteria Culture TestNational Library of Medicine
- Defecography MRIRadiological Society of North America
- Elimination Problems or ConstipationAmerican Academy of Family Physicians
- Stool Color: When to WorryMayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research
Treatments and Therapies
- Biofeedback and Bowel Disorders: Teaching Yourself to Live without the ProblemInternational Foundation for Gastrointestinal Disorders
Clinical Trials
- ClinicalTrials.gov: DefecationNational Institutes of Health
- ClinicalTrials.gov: FecesNational Institutes of Health
Medical subject headings
Clinicians and researchers index this subject under Defecation, Feces. These are the terms to use when searching medical literature.
This page is built from the MedlinePlus health topic record for Bowel Movement, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM), National Institutes of Health. Information is from MedlinePlus.gov. PocketsInfo is not affiliated with, and is not endorsed by, the NLM or the NIH. Retrieved 30 July 2026.