Understanding What’s Really Going On (and How to Support Your Body)
December is Constipation Awareness Month, which feels oddly well-timed. Travel, rich foods, schedule changes, stress, pregnancy, postpartum recovery—this time of year can quietly disrupt digestion and pelvic floor function.
Constipation isn’t just about how often you go. It’s about how your body experiences bowel movements—and whether things feel easy, complete, and comfortable.
Constipation Looks Like More Than “Not Going”
Many people don’t realize they’re constipated because they assume it only means infrequent bowel movements. Constipation can also look like:
- Feeling like you can’t fully empty
- Straining or holding your breath to go
- Hard, pellet-like stools
- Bloating, pressure, or heaviness in the pelvis
White-knuckling through these symptoms—especially during the holidays—isn’t necessary. Bowel health is a core part of pelvic floor health, and small, body-friendly changes can make a meaningful difference.
Not All Constipation Is the Same
Understanding which type of constipation you’re dealing with matters, because different causes need different support.
🚉 Slow transit constipation
Think of your digestive system like a train line. In slow transit constipation, the train is moving—but very slowly. Stool stays in the large intestine longer, more water gets absorbed, and stool becomes dry, hard, and difficult to pass.
🛤️ Outlet dysfunction
Here, the train makes it all the way to the station—but can’t leave. Stool reaches the rectum, but the pelvic floor muscles and coordination at the “exit” aren’t working well. You may feel the urge to go, sit on the toilet, and still feel blocked or unable to empty fully.
If you’ve ever thought, “I know I have to go, but my body just won’t let it happen,” that often points to an outlet issue—one area where pelvic floor therapy can be especially helpful.
Gentle, Practical Tools That Support Easier Bowel Movements
Supporting your bowels doesn’t mean forcing or pushing harder. These simple tools help your body do what it already knows how to do—more easily.
🪑 Change your position
Using a footstool or Squatty Potty–style setup brings your knees higher than your hips. This lengthens the pelvic floor and opens the anorectal angle, aligning your body with how it’s designed to empty.
💧 Hydration that actually helps
When hydration is low, stool moves more slowly and becomes dry and hard. Adequate fluids help stool stay soft and move smoothly through the gut.
🎂 Exhale, don’t strain
Instead of holding your breath and bearing down, try gently exhaling as if blowing out birthday candles. This supports abdominal pressure without over-tightening the pelvic floor.
🌾 Fiber with intention
Aiming for roughly 30–35 grams of fiber per day—using a mix of soluble and insoluble fiber—helps form soft, shaped stool that’s easier to pass. More isn’t always better; consistency matters.
If these strategies don’t improve things, that’s often a sign to look deeper at pelvic floor function rather than pushing harder.
When Constipation Has Deeper Roots
Sometimes constipation isn’t about food or routines at all.
🧠 Nervous system stress
Chronic stress—especially during the holidays—can shift gut motility. The gut and nervous system are closely linked, and bowels often reflect stress before we consciously recognize it.
🧵 Scar tissue (including C-section scars)
Scar tissue in the abdomen can change how tissues glide and move, affecting gut mobility and pelvic floor coordination. This may contribute to pressure, incomplete emptying, or constipation.
🤰 Pregnancy and postpartum changes
Hormones, organ pressure, altered movement patterns, and birth-related trauma can all impact bowel function—sometimes long after delivery.
🎯 A tight pelvic floor
Yes, a tight pelvic floor can cause constipation. If muscles can’t relax and lengthen, stool has a harder time passing—even if fiber and hydration look “perfect” on paper.
A Compassionate Approach to Constipation
Constipation is not a personal failure, a willpower issue, or something to power through. It’s communication.
Pelvic floor therapy looks at the full picture—posture, breathing, muscle coordination, scar tissue, nervous system regulation—with curiosity and care, not shame. When we support the body instead of fighting it, bowel habits often begin to shift naturally.
This December, the goal isn’t perfection. It’s understanding, gentleness, and giving your body what it needs to feel supported—during the holidays and beyond.
