Printable bowel diary
This is the paper diary format gastroenterology clinics hand out: one row per day, Bristol type, completeness, straining, urgency, blood and notes. Print it, fill it in with a pen, and bring it to your appointment. Nothing is uploaded, saved or tracked — the printing happens in your own browser.
| Day | Date | Time | Bristol type (1–7) | Felt complete? (Y/N) | Straining? (Y/N) | Urgent? (Y/N) | Blood? (Y/N) | Notes (food, symptoms, medication) |
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| Day 7 |
| Day | Date | Time | Bristol type (1–7) | Felt complete? (Y/N) | Straining? (Y/N) | Urgent? (Y/N) | Blood? (Y/N) | Notes (food, symptoms, medication) |
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| Day 8 | ||||||||
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| Day 14 |
When doctors ask for a bowel diary
A written record of a week or two of bowel movements tells a clinician more than memory can. Gastroenterology and primary-care guidance (including NHS and NIDDK patient materials) commonly recommends keeping one:
- Before a colonoscopy or gastroenterology referral. A diary of frequency, form and any blood gives the specialist a baseline before the appointment, and often shortens it.
- During an IBS workup. Patterns in stool type and urgency over 1–2 weeks help distinguish IBS subtypes and rule out things that need different treatment.
- For chronic constipation. Frequency, straining and a sense of incomplete evacuation are the exact questions your doctor will ask — written down, they are already answered.
- When tracking a change. A new medication, a diet change, or pregnancy. A diary shows whether things are actually improving, not just whether today was a good day.
How to fill it in
- Write the date in each row as the week starts, so a missed day stays blank and honest.
- Log as soon as you can after each bowel movement. Time of day and stool form are easy to forget by evening.
- For Bristol type, compare and pick a number 1–7 using the reference strip at the bottom of the sheet. Types 3–4 are generally considered the typical, well-formed range; 1–2 lean towards constipation, 6–7 towards diarrhoea. The full guide is on our Bristol stool chart page.
- Answer the Y/N columns plainly. “Felt complete” means no lingering sense that you have not finished. “Urgent” means you had to go immediately. “Blood” means visible blood on the paper, in the bowl or in the stool — always tell your doctor about this, even once.
- Use Notes for context: unusual meals, pain, bloating, period days, laxatives or other medication. This is what turns a list of stools into a pattern.
- More than one movement a day? Put extra times and Bristol numbers in the Notes column, or start a second sheet. Accuracy matters more than tidy rows.
The digital alternative
Paper works, and for a single week before one appointment it is often enough. But if you are tracking for longer — an IBS workup, a flare pattern, a food-trigger hunt — a pen diary stops scaling. Our free online bowel diary logs the same fields in a few taps, keeps the data on your own device, and exports the same clinic-ready format as a PDF. Tracking for a baby instead? See the baby poop chart and diaper log.