A condition in which stool becomes hard, dry, and difficult to pass, and bowel movements don't happen very often. Other symptoms may include painful bowel movements, and feeling bloated, uncomfortable, and sluggish.

Condition in which bowel movements are infrequent or incomplete.

Constipation means that a person has three or fewer bowel movements in a week. The stool can be hard and dry. Sometimes it is painful to pass. At one time or another, almost everyone gets constipated. In most cases, it lasts a short time and is not serious. There are many things you can do to prevent constipation. They include Eating more fruits, vegetables and grains, which are high in fiber; Drinking plenty of water and other liquids; Getting enough exercise; Taking time to have a bowel movement when you need to; Using laxatives only if your doctor says you should; Asking your doctor if medicines you take may cause constipation. It's not important that you have a bowel movement every day. If your bowel habits change, however, check with your doctor. NIH: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases

Inability to defecate or difficulty in defecating.

Infrequent or difficult evacuation of FECES. These symptoms are associated with a variety of causes, including low DIETARY FIBER intake, emotional or nervous disturbances, systemic and structural disorders, drug-induced aggravation, and infections.

Irregular and infrequent or difficult evacuation of the bowels.

A disorder characterized by irregular and infrequent or difficult evacuation of the bowels.

Dyschezia is difficulty defecating. Patients sense the presence of stool and the need to defecate but are unable. It results from a lack of coordination of pelvic floor muscles and anal sphincters. Diagnosis requires anorectal testing. Treatment is difficult, but biofeedback may be of benefit.

Constipation is the most common digestive complaint in the United States. It is a symptom rather than a disease and, despite its frequency, often remains unrecognized until the patient develops sequelae, such as anorectal disorders or diverticular disease.

Chronic constipation is infrequent bowel movements or difficult passage of stools that persists for several weeks or longer.

Chronic constipation is a polysymptomatic heterogeneous disorder. Patients define constipation on the basis of excessive straining, a sense of incomplete evacuation, failed or lengthy attempts to defecate, hard stools, and, less frequently, by the number of stools per week. The American College of Gastroenterology describes constipation...

Constipation, delayed passage of waste through the lower portion of the large intestine, with the possible discharge of relatively dry, hardened feces from the anus. Among the causes cited for the disorder are lack of regularity in one's eating habits, spasms of the large intestine, metabolic...