# Bristol Stool Scale



## SpAsMaN* (May 11, 2002)




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## Darklight00 (Jun 2, 2007)

Mine is mostly number 4 but sometimes I get them like number 3. Does that means my transit times ok?


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## libraryg (Jun 20, 2007)

This is what I refer to each day when I phone into Microbia regarding their linaclotide study. The phone system asks how many bm's I have had since the phone in the previous day, and the consistency of each. It seems the "ideal" is number 4: soft and smooth like sausage or snake. I am not sure how this relates to transit times, only that this is what is considered a "good" bm.


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

Stool consistency isn't always directly linked to transit times as you can be off the "perfect" stool consistency and still have normal transit times.However, normal stool consistency is probably a sign of normal transit times. Those who are constipated with IBS usually have normal transit times (less than 72 hours and 2-3 BM's a week) If you have one or fewer BM's a week (when not taking laxatives) then you tend to be someone that one would expect to show abnormal transit times with at sitz marker test.


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## janetmtt (May 28, 2007)

Sometimes I'm 1 or 4 on a daily basis - sometimes going 3 times but still feeling not fully evacuated. So what would that mean?


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

Sounds like IBS.Wild swings in stool consistency and incomplete evacuation even with more than one bowel movement a day is all common in IBS and not in anyway a red flag that you have something else.I'm not sure the scale of stool consistency means a whole lot to the average person other than it give you a way to discuss your stool consistency. It is used in clinical trials to track the stool consistency because it provides a single framework that all patients can use to report what the stool consistency is.As a diagnostic tool about all stool consistency tells you is what the stool consistency is. If you tend to too loose or too constipated you can monitor the consistency to see if a treatment for the problem you have is working.K.


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## janetmtt (May 28, 2007)

Thanks Kathleen


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## SpAsMaN* (May 11, 2002)

What about pencil poo?


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