Chronic constipation affects nearly everyone at some point in their lives. Constipation that occurs now and then may result from many factors such as dietary changes, some medicines, or inactivity or travel and will generally respond to simple lifestyle measures. But constipation that is long-lasting or keeps coming back (chronic) may require more effort to diagnose and treat. When that happens, a trip to the doctor is in order to find out the cause and develop a treatment plan.