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Fig. 2 | BMC Women's Health

Fig. 2

From: Stool frequency and form and gastrointestinal symptoms differ by day of the menstrual cycle in healthy adult women taking oral contraceptives: a prospective observational study

Fig. 2

Stool frequency, stool form, and self-reported daily stress differed by day of menstrual cycle (P < 0.05). Scales and definitions for outcomes: stool frequency, number of bowel movements per day; stool form, Bristol stool form scale score (1 = slower intestinal transit, 7 = faster intestinal transit); self-reported daily stress (0 = no stress, 10 = extremely stressed). Data represent the means±SEM. Twenty-five days were analyzed to capture the theoretical day of ovulation through day 10 post-menstruation. After day 10 the number of observations began to decline. Day 1 represents the first day of menstruation. The significant effect of day was determined by using generalized linear mixed models. Post hoc Dunnett’s tests for multiple comparisons identified days of interest (*P < 0.05 vs Day 1)

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