• A colonoscopy is a test to check inside your bowels.
• This test can help find what’s causing your bowel symptoms.
• A long, thin, flexible tube with a small camera inside it is passed into your bottom.
• You’ll be given a laxative so your bowels are empty for the test.

Why a colonoscopy is done

A colonoscopy can be done to look for a number of things.

To check the cause of your bowel symptoms

A colonoscopy is often done to check what’s causing your bowel symptoms, most of the time it will not find anything to worry about. But sometimes it might find something that needs a closer look or further testing.

To look for signs of bowel conditions

A colonoscopy can be used to look for bowel conditions like:

• Crohn’s disease
• Diverticular disease or diverticulitis
• Ulcerative colitis
• Bowel cancer

These conditions can be hard to diagnose, so you may also have other tests.