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A bowel diary can help you describe what has changed and when, but it cannot diagnose the cause. Record each movement as it happens, using the Bristol Stool Form Scale for stool appearance and noting symptoms and medicines alongside it. If a change is sudden, persistent, or accompanied by concerning symptoms, contact a GP rather than relying on the diary alone.
What to record in a bowel movement diary
For each bowel movement, note the date and time and describe what happened in a consistent way. University Hospitals Dorset’s bowel habit diary includes these fields:
- Stool form: the Bristol Stool Form Scale type.
- Urgency or leakage: whether you had to rush to the toilet or could not control the movement.
- Time on the toilet: an approximate duration.
- Straining: whether you had to push hard.
- Pain or bleeding: note either if present.
- Relevant medicines: record laxatives or anti-diarrhoea medicines taken.
If relevant, add whether you felt incompletely emptied, or note a recent medicine change or a suspected food association. Treat these as observations, not proof that a particular food or medicine caused the change.
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How to track consistently
- Write it down at the time. Recording each movement is more useful than trying to reconstruct a week from memory. A paper diary, notes app, or printable template can work; choose a format you can use consistently and comfortably share with a clinician.
- Use the Bristol scale for appearance. NICE says the scale may help people and clinicians describe stool quality and quantity when establishing bowel habit. It runs from type 1, separate hard lumps, to type 7, entirely liquid. NICE’s adult IBS recommendations and healthdirect’s Bristol chart explanation provide further context. A type describes appearance; it does not identify a disease.
- Include symptoms and medicines. Stool form alone leaves out useful context. Record urgency, straining, leakage, pain, bleeding, and medicines alongside it.
- Describe the change plainly. Note what is different from your usual pattern, when it began, how often it occurs, and what else is happening.
- Take the record to an appointment. If symptoms persist or change, a dated record can help you explain them. It supports a conversation; it does not replace an assessment.
How to make sense of changes
There is no single bowel frequency or stool appearance that defines everyone’s personal normal. Use the diary to learn your own baseline and notice a new or persistent change, not to chase an ideal number or Bristol type.
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A stool chart cannot tell you whether a change is due to IBS, an infection, cancer, or another condition. NICE says possible IBS requires clinical assessment of symptoms and red flags; the chart is a shared descriptive tool, not a self-diagnosis test.
When to contact a GP
NHS guidance advises contacting a GP about a sudden change in bowel habits, blood in your stool, unexplained weight loss, abdominal pain, or constipation that is not improving or keeps recurring. See the NHS constipation guidance for its advice. For possible IBS symptoms, NICE recommends clinical assessment, including consideration of red flags, and further investigation when indicated.
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Do not wait for a diary to become complete before seeking advice about these symptoms. Bring whatever notes you have, including when the change started and how often it occurs.
Quick Recap
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