Regular gal: How often should you 'go'?  Remember Carly Simon's
song, "Anticipation"? I never heard of the song until Heinz
Ketchup used it in a commercial. (In the commercial, the
anticipation of eating the food slathered in ketchup was worth
the wait.)  When it comes to a bowel movement, for most people,
constipation is not a fun way to experience anticipation. In
fact, one of the biggest issues in the primary care office is
constipation. Women are affected by constipation more than men,
but we aren't really sure why.  When I was a medical resident in
Los Angeles, I lived in a noisy apartment for one year. I would
occasionally see my landlords, who seemed nice enough, but I
never really had a conversation with them. One night, as I was
returning home, the landlord asked me if I could help his
pregnant wife. (I thought she was pregnant, but I learned a long
time ago never to ask, "Are you pregnant?" I once asked a woman
this question to learn she was in fact not pregnant. I think
this is defined as a faux pa