Doctor Shares What Happens If You Hold Your Poop — Best Life (2024)

Sometimes you just gotta go!

When you gotta go, you gotta go! Of course, in some instances, it's okay to temporarily ignore the urge "to go" if it means being able to go to the bathroom in the privacy of your own home versus a public restroom. Or perhaps you're waiting for the right moment to excuse yourself from a meeting or sit-down meal to use the bathroom. That's also common and acceptable. However, getting into the habit of constantly holding in your poop can wreak havoc on your bowels and, in more advanced cases, lead to painful hemorrhoids and a negative psychological association with pooping.

RELATED: What Happens to Your Body When You Hold Your Pee, According to Doctors.

What happens when you hold your poop in for too long? Naturopathic doctor Janine Bowring, ND, is answering that very question in one of her many viral TikTok videos, in which she explains the potentially harmful effects of denying your body of its natural processes, along with the long-term consequences that come with an irregular pooping schedule.

"When you get the urge to go, it's because that upper sphincter has relaxed to let the poop flow out," Bowring explains in the clip.

"Now luckily, we have a secondary sphincter that we have more voluntary control over. That's the one we can allow to release when we have to go poop, or else you'd be pooping your pants all the time," she continues.

One of the most common consequences of holding in your poop is constipation. According to Bowring, this is something that can gradually happen over time because the longer poop is trapped in the intestines, "more and more water is becoming withdrawn and making that poop harder."

This hardening fecal matter can resemble something Bowring calls "meatball poop" or even "rabbit pellet poop." Poop that's shaped like marbles or is "long-shaped but lumpy" is a tell-tale sign of constipation, per Healthline.

On the other hand, healthy poop should be "log-shaped with some cracks on the surface" and soft and easy to pass. Healthline considers this the "gold standard of poop."

But when it comes to abnormal poop, pellet-shaped waste can lead to hemorrhoids. "You can also develop hemorrhoids because of the straining when you're trying to pass this type of poop," warns Bowring.

Hemorrhoids are "swollen veins in the anus and lower rectum" that can cause "painless bleeding" when pooping, explains Mayo Clinic. An easy way to tell if you have hemorrhoids is to look for spotting on toilet paper or in the toilet.

And if you do get hemorrhoids, you may also develop a negative association with pooping in general. "These negative associations can disrupt the synchronization and rhythm of your body's natural processes," Bowring further explains in the caption. In other words, you'll get the urge to poop less frequently, which isn't exactly healthy either.

RELATED: 10 Safe and Easy Ways to Poop Instantly.

To get ahead of it, Bowring recommends that "whenever you get that urge to go, you're gonna go poop"—even if it means having to use a public restroom.

Secondly, Bowring suggests that you start your morning with lots of natural sunlight. "It helps train your brain and your circadian rhythms with nature to stimulate that healthy pooping everyday," she explains.

A healthy pooping schedule is vital to gut health and prevents unwanted matter from staying in the body, plus it keeps constipation at bay.

We offer the most up-to-date information from top experts, new research, and health agencies, but our content is not meant to be a substitute for professional guidance. When it comes to the medication you're taking or any other health questions you have, always consult your healthcare provider directly.

Emily Weaver

Emily is a NYC-based freelance entertainment and lifestyle writer — though, she’ll never pass up the opportunity to talk about women’s health and sports (she thrives during the Olympics).Read more

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Sources referenced in this article

1. Source: Mayo Clinic: Hemorrhoids