Dear Reader,

Lots of medical conditions can cause blood to appear in a person's stool. They range from the very minor to the very serious, and can include:

Anal fissures Small cracks or tears around the anus that can be caused by large and/or forceful bowel movements or anal sex (including insertion of fingers, sex toys, etc.)

Hemorrhoids (a.k.a. piles)
Enlarged veins in the lower part of the rectum or anus

Infection or disease in the GI (gastrointestinal) tract
Bacterial infections, stomach ulcers, or inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)

Tumors or cancer of the GI tract
Polyps or colon cancer

Only a health care provider can determine whether the blood in your stool is from straining too hard, or from a more serious and/or long-term medical problem. People who experience blood in their stool or on the toilet paper after a bowel movement occasionally need to seek medical advice to see if there is a problem. Because small amounts of blood may not necessarily mean a small problem — for example, one of the early signs of colon cancer is minute amounts of hidden (or occult) blood in stools — any amount of blood in the stool needs to be followed up with a call to your provider. S/he can then decide how deeply the problem (and your GI tract) need to be examined. A large quantity of blood (say enough to color the water in the toilet pinkish-red or show up as visible clots) can be a sign of a life threatening bleed in the GI tract, which requires emergency medical treatment.

Bleeding in the GI tract can also produce stools that are maroon colored or black and tar-like. Some foods and medicines can also cause black or tar-like stools (including blueberries, black licorice, and pink bismuth) or maroon ones (e.g., beets). It's always best to check with your health care provider about differently colored poop that concerns you.

Alice

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