Blood in your poo
It may be alarming to see blood in your poo. A number of minor issues can cause this, but it can also be a symptom of a gastrointestinal (GI) condition. In rare cases, it may be a sign of cancer.
This page will help you understand:
- When to seek urgent care
- The signs of blood in your poo
- The causes
- How we diagnose the cause
- Treatment options
Speak to your doctor if you experience any blood in your poo. If you experience no other symptoms, it usually isn’t an emergency, but it might be worth looking into.
Related Symptoms
When to seek urgent care
While blood in your poo doesn’t often require urgent care, there are a few instances when you should seek immediate help.
Signs to seek urgent care:
- Have a fever
- Rapid, shallow breathing
- Sudden bloody diarrhoea
- High volumes of blood lost
- Feeling lightheaded/ weak
- Severe abdominal pain or cramping
What does blood in your poo look like?
If you have blood in your stool, you are bleeding somewhere in your digestive tract. We also refer to this as rectal bleeding (bleeding from your bottom).
You might experience:
- Blood on your toilet paper
- Red streaks on your poo (stool)
- Pink toilet water (blood in the toilet bowl)
- Bloody diarrhoea or blood in your poo
- Black, tarry poo
Symptoms associated with blood in your poo
- Fainting
- Confusion
- Tar-like poo
- Rectal pain or pressure
- Feeling lightheaded or dizzy
The colour of the blood in your poo signals where the blood is coming from in your digestive tract. It could be bright red, dark red, or black and tarry.
The colour of your poo may also change due to harmless reasons, such as the food you ate. High quantities of beetroot, for example, may turn your poo red.
Bright red
If the blood in your poo is bright red, it has likely come from low in your colon or rectum. The rectum is the last part of your colon/large intestine.
Causes of bright red blood in your poo include
- Diverticular disease (may also cause dark red or black blood)
- Anal fissure (a small tear in the lining of your bottom)
- Broken blood vessels in the gut
- A side effect of medication
- Haemorrhoids (piles)
- Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD)
- Severe gastroenteritis (usually caused by food poisoning
- Bowel cancer
If you are pregnant or have recently given birth, you may have haemorrhoids or an anal fissure. These are common during and after pregnancy due to increased pressure on the blood vessels in the lower belly.
Dark red/maroon
Blood that is dark red or maroon indicates the bleeding is higher in the colon or small bowel. It may also be coming from your stomach.
Causes of dark red blood in your poo include
- Diverticular disease – may also cause bright red blood
- Bleeding in your stomach or gut
- Bowel cancer (less common)
- Stomach ulcer
Black and tarry
Very dark red and black poo suggests the bleeding is coming from your upper digestive tract. This can range from your mouth and food pipe (oesophagus) to your stomach and upper small intestine (duodenum).
Generally, the darker the blood, the higher the source of the bleed. If you are bleeding from your stomach, your poo may appear plum or black and tarry. Your blood might also look sticky.
Iron tablets can cause black poo, as can eating a lot of dark foods. If you are taking iron tablets, speak to your doctor about the possible side effects.
Occult (hidden) blood
For some people, we can only identify the presence of blood in their poo using a stool test. This is a test of your poo to look for microscopic traces of blood. If the blood is present but not visible, we call this occult.
We may perform stool tests if you are experiencing symptoms of a GI condition. Such as a change in your bowel habits or abdominal pain.
Causes of occult blood include
- Ulcers
- Bowel cancer
- Haemorrhoids
- Diverticular disease
- Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)
- Polyps on your colon lining or rectum
Polyps and Bowel Cancer
Blood in your poo is rarely caused by bowel cancer or polyps (abnormal growths). It’s still important to be aware of the signs.
Symptoms of polyps and bowel cancer
- Losing weight
- Pain in your abdomen
- Tiredness (fatigue)
- Breathing problems
- Frequently feeling as if you need to poo
- Looser bowel movements or constipation
- Change in bowel habits, such as more frequent bowel movements
Book an appointment for bowel cancer screening if you experience signs of bowel cancer.
Diagnosis
If we believe your symptoms are due to a GI condition, we may perform the following tests.
- Stool test
- Abdominal scan
- Complete blood count
- Digital rectal examination
- Endoscopy – commonly a colonoscopy, though you may need a sigmoidoscopy or gastroscopy
Whether we perform an endoscopy will depend on your symptoms.
Treatment
How we treat blood in the poo depends on what is causing it.
Possible treatments:
- Lifestyle changes
- Medication
- Endoscopic treatment
- Surgery
If you are experiencing an anal fissure or haemorrhoids, we may recommend a high-fibre diet and other lifestyle changes. If we find signs of an infection, we may prescribe antibiotics.
Endoscopic treatment may be appropriate if the bleed does not stop. This could involve injecting medicine, cauterising the site of the bleed, or closing off a blood vessel.
If your colon has been damaged by diverticula, IBD, or cancer, we may recommend surgery to treat this.
Book an appointment
If you are regularly experiencing blood in your poo, our stomach specialists (gastroenterologists) can help. We can perform a variety of tests to understand the cause of your problem and develop a tailored treatment plan.
Book an appointment today to prioritise your gut health.