We’re in the middle of a constipation crisis and it’s disproportionately affecting women. I believe women’s bowel health is overlooked, under-discussed, and quietly debilitating for millions.
Research shows women are twice as likely as men to suffer with constipation (BMC Gastroenterology, 2021), while recent consumer research showed that 74 per cent of 100 women surveyed wanted to poo more frequently. And according to the Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, approximately 1 in 7 UK adults are affected by constipation at any given time.
In June I left my job as Head of Beauty at Grazia magazine and I’ve woken up every day since thinking about poo. Not just because I need one, but because for the last 18 months I’ve been on a mission to help women have the best number twos of their lives.
For me it’s personal. Constipation and I go way back. We’ve had an on–off relationship since university. I’ve had poo droughts lasting two weeks and things got serious enough for me to have stool tests. A very kind (and very professional) female doctor had to – to put it bluntly – pop a finger up my backside to see what was going. The verdict? Internal haemorrhoids – made worse by the joy of pushing out constipated, lumpy stools. So yes – I really do know the far-from-glamorous reality of living blocked up.
When I told people I was starting a poo business, first they were shocked, then they were intrigued. They’d say: I need that. My sister needs that. My neighbour’s cousin’s long-lost aunt desperately needs that.
It’s quite a pivot. Before this I’d spent 13 years in beauty journalism. I was incredibly lucky to interview icons from Helen Mirren to Cate Blanchett, to travel the world with brands like Dior, Chanel and Louis Vuitton, host a podcast with beauty legends, direct cover shoots, and spend countless fashion weeks backstage at shows from Versace to Burberry. It was a career I adored, a team I loved, and a job that felt secure.
Joely Walker has had problems with constipation since university, and was diagnosed with internal haemorrhoids
The, a year and a half ago at a friend’s birthday lunch, I sat next to Holly – one of my best friends of 18 years and talked about how she’d been constipated since the day we met. From the age of 18, through university, into a high-flying career in the beauty industry as a commercial director she’s had chronic constipation – pooing maybe once a week. Grim.
So we started investigating poo…
Why are so many women constipated?
So why are we so backed up? The reasons are complex – with a mix of biology, lifestyle, and stigma at play. Here’s what experts say:
Hormones
‘Oestrogen and progesterone have a big impact on gut motility,’ explains nutritionist Laura Jennings (ANutr, MSc, BSc). ‘When progesterone peaks mid-cycle or during pregnancy, everything slows down – which is why so many women feel backed-up. Menopause can have a similar effect.’
Stress
‘The gut and brain are constantly in conversation,’ explains award winning G.P. Dr Sigi Joseph. ‘When our stress hormones are persistently raised – as they often are when we’re juggling working and often caregiving – this can cause gut disregulation, which can result in going too frequently or too little.’
Diet
‘Fibre is important, but it’s the type that matters,’ explains Jennings. ‘Prebiotic fibres (found in foods like onions, garlic, bananas and oats) feed beneficial gut bacteria, while probiotics (like live yoghurt, sauerkraut and kimchi) add healthy microbes that support digestion. Combined, they help keep you regular.’
Joely with WE ARE. REGULAR. co-founder Holly Brooke
Avoid processed foods where you can, and aim for a mix of soluble and insoluble fibre from whole foods (fruits, vegetables, legumes, wholegrains) and include fermented foods a few times a week.’
Holding it in
‘There’s a cultural embarrassment around women going for a poo that makes loo avoidance in public places a very real issue for them,’ explains Dr Joseph. ‘The act of holding it in can train your bowel to become less responsive – making constipation worse in the long run and possibly leading to issues like haemorrhoids.’
What helps get us moving
I know when I’m ticking off the live-well boxes – exercising, eating 30 plants a week, keeping stress low and hormones happy – my bowels behave themselves. More fibre, plus plenty of fluids (you need to drink loads of water to help fibre do its job), and things run a lot smoother.
Holly found daily relief by popping a combination of all-natural supplements. But there was a catch: she was taking 30 pills a day and spending hundreds of pounds a month. Wildly expensive, impractical, and unsustainable.
I was also looking for a solution to help when I couldn’t live as healthily as I wanted to. Because the reality is I’m currently cramming in 14-hour working days, running on five to six hours of sleep a night, my cortisol’s sky-high and my bum’s glued to a chair, not a rowing machine.
So I said to Holly ‘What if we put all those ingredients into a supplement that doesn’t cost a bomb and just makes you poo every day?’ And so the next day, we got started. The result was WE ARE. REGULAR.
Women have been conditioned to think poo is dirty, embarrassing, un-feminine. What utter crap. Surprise, we all poo! We want to open up the conversation around it and make it a more pleasurable experience for all.
- WE ARE. REGULAR. 01. Bowel + Bloat Relief, £45 for 28 servings, available from September 29 on weareregular.com
The information provided in this article is for educational purposes and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. If you’re struggling with persistent constipation and bloating, or you notice a change in your stools, it’s important to book in with your doctor.