Faecal Incontinence Symptoms & Causes | The Functional Gut Clinic

Faecal Incontinence

Struggling with faecal incontinence? Here’s what you need to know to find relief.

Learn about diagnostic testing

ALL TEST ARE ACCREDITED & REGULATED BY

What is faecal incontinence?

Faecal incontinence is a distressing condition where you can’t control your bowel movements. In other words, you can’t get to the toilet in time – or don’t even know you need to go.

This means your stools may leak unexpectedly. You might unexpectedly leak just one small stool when you pass wind or cough, or it could mean losing a complete bowel movement.

Why does faecal incontinence happen?

Having control over your bowel movements requires your nervous system, rectum and anus to be functioning normally. So, if you have faecal incontinence, it’s crucial to find out what’s wrong.

Causes of faecal incontinence can include:

Damage to the anal sphincter (as a result of a serious tear in childbirth, for example)
A weak pelvic floor
Previous surgery, including rectal, anal, prostate or gynaecological surgery
Long-term constipation causing the anus to weaken
Stools building up in the rectum
The over-use of laxatives
An overgrowth of bacteria in the small intestine (called SIBO)
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
Stress or anxiety

Diagnosing faecal incontinence

There are many potential causes of faecal incontinence, ranging from mild to severe, so it's important to identify the relevant cause for you.

Testing options:

At the Functional Gut Clinic, we can run one or more of the following tests to diagnose faecal incontinence and help find out what’s going on:

Endoanal ultrasound– to image the muscles back passage and surrounding tissue, and assess their structure

Anorectal manometry– which tests the strength of the muscles in your back passage and rectum

Pudendal nerve function test– which looks at the nerves in your pelvic floor which control your muscles in your back passage

Whole-gut transit– a non-invasive test which looks at how long it takes for faeces to pass through your bowel

Defaecography– which investigates any problems you may have when trying to open your bowels

Carbohydrate malabsorption breath test– which finds out if you have certain food intolerances (lactose or fructose)

Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) breath test– which finds out if you have an overgrowth of bacteria in your small intestine (called SIBO)

Find out more and book your test

Hear from people we’ve helped, just like you.

"Very professional while welcoming and friendly"

"The manner and demeanour of all staff from reception to people carrying out the test was very professional but welcoming and friendly. Atmosphere is very relaxed and all instructions clear and concise."

London Patient

"Highly recommend this"

"Thanks to Dr Hobson and everyone at the Functional Gut Clinic. The whole team is very kind and generous and they are doing things that are cutting edge and they actually get results."

Manchester Patient

"Highly recommend this"

"After stopping my lansoprazole, every time I had a warm drink, I could feel it burn all the way down to my stomach. Thank you to Sam for making me feel at ease." - Manchester Patient

"My experience could not be better"

"Pleasant and knowledgeable staff that made the experience more enjoyable than it should be!" - London Patient

"Very friendly and knowledgeable"

"An excellent service from beginning to end. I would recommend to anyone who was considering having testing done. Very friendly and knowledgeable!" - Manchester Patient

"Very kind and helpful"

"It was also great to have time to talk to the clinicians – very important when you have problems. Reception staff also very kind and helpful." - Manchester Patient