Why your bowel movements change as you age - and what the experts want you to do about it - Which?

Why your bowel movements change as you age highlights how digestion can slow and become less predictable around midlife, with experts linking shifts to hormones, medications, and lifestyle. The article notes that many people begin noticing subtle changes around age 50, including constipation, which the NHS says affects about one in seven adults. It is described as twice as common among women and affecting roughly a third of pregnant people and those over 60. Gut-health scientist Dr. Megan Rossi and nutritionist Emma Bardwell cite menopause-related estrogen decline, reduced activity, stress, poorer sleep, lower fiber intake, and medications such as metformin, codeine, proton pump inhibitors, and antibiotics. The piece explains that slower gut motility can let the body absorb more water, leading to harder, drier stool, and it calls for gradual adjustments to fiber sensitivity.