Constipation: a symptom many of us have experienced transiently, and which generally improves with a slight lifestyle change and maybe a single dose of over-the-counter laxatives. But for many people in the UK, the symptom is not short-lived and can cause major impairment of quality of life. This report summarises the breadth of this disruption, both in terms of cost to the individual as well as financial burden to the NHS. Ranging from rate of hospital admissions to costs of laxative prescriptions to time off work, the impact of this seemingly innocuous symptom is far-reaching and occasionally shocking. The message is especially important since there is much that can be done to alleviate these symptoms by sensitively and selectively addressing the range of causes of constipation as well as emerging treatments which can effectively improve the condition.