A bowel diary helps you describe what is happening and notice changes from your usual pattern. Record each movement as it occurs, including stool form and related symptoms, then share the notes with a healthcare professional if a change persists or concerns you. A diary can support an assessment, but it cannot diagnose the cause.
What to record for each bowel movement
Use a notebook, printable diary or another format you can update consistently. University Hospitals Dorset’s bowel habit diary includes these practical fields:
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- Date and time: record each movement rather than reconstructing the week from memory.
- Stool form: use a Bristol Stool Form Scale type, described below.
- Urgency or leakage: note whether you had to rush or could not control passage.
- Straining and time on the toilet: record whether passing stool was difficult and approximately how long it took.
- Pain or bleeding: note whether either occurred and when.
- Relevant medicines: record laxatives or anti-diarrhoea medicines, including when you took them.
If relevant, add a brief note about a medication change or a suspected association with something you ate. These notes are observations, not proof of a cause; there is no need to start an elimination diet just to keep a diary.
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How to use the Bristol Stool Form Scale
The Bristol scale gives you and a clinician a shared way to describe stool shape and consistency. NICE says it may help describe stool quality and quantity when establishing bowel habit. The scale runs from type 1, separate hard lumps, to type 7, entirely liquid stool; healthdirect Australia explains the stool changes and chart.
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- Types 1–2: hard or lumpy stool.
- Types 3–4: formed stool.
- Types 5–7: progressively softer stool through entirely liquid stool.
Choose the closest description consistently. A type is only a description of appearance: one entry, or a run of entries, does not by itself identify a condition.
How to spot a meaningful change
There is no single bowel frequency or stool appearance that defines everyone’s personal normal. Use the diary to learn your own pattern and record a change from it, rather than aiming for a particular score. When something changes, write down when it began, how often it happens, and what else is occurring—for example, urgency, pain, a medicine change or bleeding.
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NICE includes changes in bowel habit and urgency among symptoms considered when assessing possible irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), but diagnosis requires clinical assessment, including consideration of warning signs. A diary cannot distinguish IBS from cancer, infection or another cause.
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The NHS guidance on constipation advises contacting a GP about a sudden change in bowel habits, blood in your stool, unexplained weight loss, abdominal pain, recurring constipation, or constipation that is not improving. For possible IBS symptoms, NICE recommends clinical assessment and examination for warning signs, with further investigation or referral when indicated.
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Take your diary to an appointment if symptoms persist or your bowel habits change. The notes can help you give a clearer account of what has happened; they do not replace medical assessment.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Choose a tracking format you can maintain
A notebook, printable form or digital note can all work if you can make entries consistently and show them to a clinician. Consider whether the format is easy to use, accessible to you and, if digital, lets you export or share your notes. The format is a convenience, not a medical device, and using an app is not necessary.
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