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Parcopresis is the inability to defecate, or in simpler terms, go for a poo, without a certain level of privacy. The condition, also known as ‘shy bowel’, can stop people feeling comfortable about going at work, while out and about or even while sharing a toilet with a new partner. The knock-on effect of this is often constipation and according to The Bowel Group Report 2020 one in seven adults suffer from constipation and 60% of that number are women. But what causes this anxiety? Why do women suffer more than men and what are the long-term health implications? Emma Barnett talks to Eleanor Morgan, author of Hormonal: A Conversation About Women’s Bodies, Mental Health and Why We Need to be Heard, and Professor Siwan Thomas-Gibson, consultant gastroenterologist and specialist endoscopist at St Mark's National Bowel Hospital in London.