If you’re always constipated to the point where it affects your digestive health and overall quality of life, you may be experiencing Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth, or SIBO.
SIBO occurs from an overgrowth of pathogenic bacteria in the small intestine that eats and ferments sugars going through your digestive system, releasing gasses that can wreak havoc on your digestive system and body.
How Often Should I Poop?
While it may surprise you, you should aim to have approximately one bowel movement per day- and no less than three or four per week. The average person has a bowel movement anywhere between three times a week to three times a day, but it’s ideal for waste to stay in our system for a shorter amount of time after digestion.
Constipation symptoms include not having a bowel movement for one or more days, having dry or lumpy bowel movements, straining or pushing while having bowel movements, or constantly feeling full or bloated even without eating.
What Causes Constipation?
Constipation may not occur for many reasons, including dehydration, not eating enough fiber, dietary changes, not getting enough exercise, stress or depression, pregnancy or childbirth, or a side effect of a new medication. However, if none of these seem to describe you, you may be dealing with SIBO or another digestive condition.
SIBO and Constipation
If you think you have a digestive condition causing your constipation, you may have SIBO! You’ve probably heard of Irritable Bowel Disease (IBS)- but around 70% of people diagnosed with IBS actually have SIBO.
Symptoms of SIBO include gas, bloating, constipation, diarrhea, abdominal pain, nausea, brain fog, or exhaustion. Symptoms may come and go depending on your diet– or you may have learned to avoid many different foods that “trigger” symptoms.
There are three different types of SIBO:
- Hydrogen SIBO
- Methane SIBO
- Hydrogen Sulfide SIBO
Methane SIBO is the most common culprit of constipation.
Testing for Methane SIBO
Testing for SIBO is done through a SIBO breath test, in which you consume a sugar solution and then blow into tubes over the course of a few hours to evaluate the gasses in your bloodstream. It can be done at a healthcare center or in the comfort of your own home with our favorite SIBO home tests.
Do you suspect you have SIBO? Are you wondering why, when, and how you should get tested? Or what the deal with retesting is? Our Ultimate Guide to Testing for SIBO will help you gain clarity around this important topic to navigate the maze of SIBO/IMO testing and create an action plan to resolve your symptoms.
Testing is the first step to seeing RECOVERY and RESULTS. You’ll learn the importance of testing and how it can guide your treatment, the 3 ways to be tested for SIBO, what a breath test is, how to choose the right test, do and donts for testing mornings, and how to interpret your results. Get the guide now!
