title: Perioperative bowel habits of women undergoing gynecologic surgery:  a pilot study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To describe perioperative bowel habits of women undergoing gynecologic surgery.
  
  
  METHODS
  This prospective cohort study included women undergoing gynecologic surgery. Before surgery, participants completed the Bristol Stool Form Scale (BSFS), a validated instrument describing stool characteristics consistent with transit categories: slow (BSFS 1-2), normal (BSFS 3-5), and fast (BSFS 6-7). For 2 weeks after surgery, the participants recorded daily medications and bowel movements (BM), and completed BSFS. The χ(2) test, the Fisher exact test, analysis of variance, t tests, and ordinal regression were used.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Preoperatively, most (70%) of 340 women had normal stool transit, with 15% having slow transit and 7% having fast transit. Complete postoperative data were available for 170 (50%). Mean ± SD time to first postoperative BM was 2.8 ± 1.4 days with transit classification: 48% normal, 32% slow, and 20% fast.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Most women had normal stool transit both preoperatively and postoperatively. Time to first BM was longer after open surgery by approximately 3 days.
authors.affiliation: Division of Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery, Department of Obstetrics, Stritch School of Medicine, Loyola University Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA. megan.tarr@gmail.com
authors.forename: Megan E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Tarr
authors.forename: Violet
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Klenov
authors.forename: Margaret E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Tanzy
authors.forename: Colleen L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Rivard
authors.forename: Margaret M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: McElhinney
authors.forename: Linda
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Brubaker
authors.forename: Elizabeth R
authors.initials: ER
authors.lastname: Mueller
authors.forename: Mary P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: FitzGerald
authors.forename: Kimberly
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kenton
mesh_terms: D003672:Defecation; D005260:Female; D005772:Gastrointestinal Transit; D013509:Gynecologic Surgical Procedures; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009294:Narcotics / Q000627:therapeutic use; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011184:Postoperative Period; D057234:Preoperative Period; D011446:Prospective Studies
chemical_list: D009294:Narcotics