Wellness is big news these days. We are all obsessed with ‘optimising’ ourselves, discussing how best to boost our sleep, our breathing and our longevity.

But there’s one key bodily function that we don’t talk about: pooing. This fact of life is relegated to hushed whispers, despite regular bowel movements being one of the best things for your health – both physical and mental.

I should know; I’ve spent most of my adult life (at least 17 years) constipated – and it’s miserable.

I tried everything I could to fix things – from supplements to light therapy – but nothing worked. At my worst, I could go two weeks without pooing. Things got so bad my GP suggested I take antidepressants.

So when I finally found a solution, it was life-changing. I felt like a completely new person, freed from years of physical discomfort and brain fog.

Now I want everyone in the grip of constipation to know how to beat it, and to realise that it’s OK to talk about it. Particularly women, because constipation disproportionately affects them.

One study found that around 10 per cent of men are afflicted, while for women the figure doubles to almost 20 per cent.

This is partly due to hormonal shifts causing fluctuations to the stress hormone cortisol, which in turn causes digestion to slow.

But sadly, most women suffer in silence. And for those who are brave enough to talk about it, it can feel as if there’s little help available.

I was 18 and had left home for university in Manchester when I first went to see a GP about my struggles. By that point, I’d been constipated for as long as I could remember and was regularly going up to ten days without a bowel movement.

Holly Brooke tried everything from supplements to light therapy, but for most of her adult life could go up to two weeks without pooing. Her GP even suggested she took antidepressants

But while I’d occasionally bring it up with my parents, perhaps because it’s not a visible illness, I just got brushed off with: ‘Everyone’s different. That’s probably just your normal.’

But the NHS says anything from three times a day to three times a week is normal.

I’d tried over-the-counter laxatives, drinking more water, eating more fruit, but nothing seemed to make a difference. I felt constantly sluggish and, although I never experienced any bloating, I’d get pains in my groin and my hips.

The GP was a man, which didn’t help my nerves, but I just blurted out: ‘I’m not pooing regularly. Just once a week at best. That can’t be normal?’

I told him about the fatigue and the pain and his response was to casually say, ‘You’ve probably just got IBS [irritable bowel syndrome].’

Yet there was no explanation as to what that meant, or what I should do. He suggested I ate kiwi fruit and drank more water, which I’d tried many times before.

From then on, every time I visited a GP, I’d get the same response: IBS.

I’ve since learned that IBS, which is very hard to diagnose, is a bit of a catch-all term for unexplained gut issues. It might give it a label but, in practical terms, it’s not much help.

Sometimes I’d get referred for tests – blood tests, stool tests, intolerance tests – but none of them came back with anything conclusive as to the causes of my constipation.

I was sometimes prescribed laxatives, which are awful; you should never be on them for a long period because, over time, they can cause your bowel to become dependent on them, as well as dehydration.

But at times I was taking them daily for a few months. While they provided some relief, they caused their own problems.

I once had to leave a date, fast, without explanation, after I felt the effects of that morning’s tablet start to kick in.

Holly and her friend Joely Gabrielle. They left their jobs at Skin Rocks and Grazia to launch a product helping women with chronic constipation

This week, they launched We Are. Regular. 01. Bowel + Bloat Relief – daily sachets that contain ten science-backed ingredients that really work

On paper, I was in the prime of my life, finishing university and embarking on my career, but constipation was constantly hanging over me. Should I take a laxative that day, or would I not need to? I felt I had no control over my own life.

I’ve always been quite open about my constipation with my friends and partners because it’s been such a large part of my life, but it did affect my self-esteem.

I’d feel jealous of people who were regular and I’d wonder what was wrong with me. There was a period in my 20s when I was gripped by panic that I had bowel cancer, despite all the tests I’d had ruling it out.

On one occasion I was at my grandma’s when my bowel finally decided, after two weeks, it was willing to empty. Out of interest, I weighed myself before and after – and realised I had lost an entire stone in the process.

The problem had a huge impact on my relationship with food, too. I became scared of eating because I hated the idea that it might sit there for days. In my early 20s, I even had the odd bout of what I now recognise as bulimia, trying to get rid of what I’d eaten before I could digest it.

I’ve been gluten-free, dairy-free and tried the Fodmap plan, a temporary, restrictive diet that limits certain sugars and is meant to help people with IBS.

I’ve done extreme cleanses, taken probiotics and prebiotics, tried eating fermented foods, eating more fibre, less fibre – nothing seemed to work.

I noticed rich food and anything with a lot of dairy or oils seemed to make things worse, so in restaurants I’d have to study the menu with utmost care, asking how the dishes were prepared.

If I did eat something that ‘upset’ me, I would beat myself up for making the ‘wrong’ decisions.

There is the financial fallout, too. I’ve spent around £10,000 on different diets, supplements, private tests and supposed treatments.

I’ve had LED red-light therapy – which is meant to reduce inflammation and boost blood flow – and lymphatic drainage massage to physically get things moving. I also tried hypnosis and acupuncture, which were meant to relax me and my digestive system by tapping into the brain-gut connection. None of it worked.

The turning point came when, aged 31 in 2022, I had my first session of colonic irrigation. I’d heard several negative stories about it, which had put me off for years. But after a friend in a similar situation recommended it, I thought I had nothing to lose.

After that first treatment, I felt more alive and awake than I had for ten years.

Since my early 20s, my memory had been atrocious, yet now I felt completely alert. I realised I had been unknowingly accustomed to a brain fog that never lifted.

Around the same time, a GP suggested that, as a last resort, antidepressants might help my constipation by resetting the serotonin in the gut, so helping to reduce sensitivity and getting things moving.

But I knew I wasn’t depressed, so that was a step too far for me.

I’ve since realised that I was lucky; one study found those with constipation have a 48 per cent higher risk of developing depression, although it’s not clear which comes first.

I knew I couldn’t carry on living the way I had, though. The colonic inspired me to try again for a longer lasting solution.

I’d seen a naturopath who had recommended certain supplements and, although the initial suggestions didn’t change things overnight, it inspired me to become my own chemist, mixing and matching.

Eventually, in early 2023, I landed on a combination that seemed to work for me, including Ayurvedic herbs, vitamin C, magnesium and botanicals like peppermint, ginger and rosehip. It added up to 30 supplements a day – at a cost of £300 a month – but, finally, I was consistently regular. It was revolutionary.

Around two years ago, I was at a lunch with a friend, Joely, when I pulled out one of the sizeable pill boxes that I took everywhere. She looked at me as if I was mad and asked why I was taking all these supplements.

When I explained, she exclaimed: ‘We need to put all those supplements into a formula that just makes women regular and doesn’t cost the earth!’

So that’s what we did. We poured ourselves into research about constipation and gut function, eventually giving up our jobs – me as the commercial director at Caroline Hirons’s skincare brand, Skin Rocks, and Joely as head of beauty at Grazia magazine – and this week we launched We Are. Regular. 01. Bowel + Bloat Relief – daily sachets that contain ten science-backed ingredients that really work.

My experience taught me how vital regular bowel movements are for mental health and I’m passionate about supporting others who are struggling.

As research shows, stress only worsens the problem by disrupting the gut–brain connection.

No one should suffer for years like I did.

• WE ARE. REGULAR. 01. Bowel + Bloat Relief, £45 for 28 servings (weareregular.com).
• As told to CLAIRE COLEMAN