Bowel preparation is an established practice before abdominal surgery. Most surgeons would use both antibiotic prophylaxis and mechanical bowel preparation (MBP) before bowel surgery. In the literature, however, there is no evidence to support the use of MBP before elective colorectal surgery. Some randomized studies and a meta-analysis report a significantly higher incidence of wound infection in patients receiving MBP versus no bowel preparation. As to gynecological surgery, data are scanty, and there is a single randomized study reporting no advantage of MBP over no bowel preparation. Based on these evidences, the routine use of MBP should be reconsidered both in general and gynecological surgery.