In a constipated colon, the normal muscle action fails
to work properly: so that the bowel’s
usual muscular motion (peristalsis) does not move it’s
contents along effectively. There are a number of possible
causes for this problem and it can be related to age and
gender. To learn more about this topic, please refer to "Constipation,
gender and age" (page 4) in the menu. Here are some
of the most common causes of constipation:
Causes of constipation
Constipation can be caused by:
advancing age
the effect of hormones within the menstrual cycle
hormonal changes during pregnancy and menopause
a lack of exercise and/or an unbalanced diet
hanges in lifestyle or routine, such as travel
stress or worry; ignoring the urge to go to the toilet
some medications, such as pain-killers, antacids, antidepressants and
blood pressure
medicine
some illnesses such as hypothyroidism, (a condition where thyroid glands
are "underactive" and do not produce enough thyroid hormones),
diabetes, Parkinson's disease and other
neurological diseases
