Bright red blood during your period or when you poop could mean an infection but not always.
If you have bright red blood during your period or between menstrual cycles it can be a sign of gonorrhea, chlamydia or other sexually transmitted disease.
Other causes of heavy bleeding include growths in the uterine lining such as fibroids or polyps.
In rare cases the bright red bleeding may mean and be a sign of cervical cancer.
Bright red blood in your poop often means that the bleeding is lower in the colon, rectum or your anus.
Bright red blood during your period is a result of the uterus actively shedding blood during the period.
With a period the bright red blood is a result of fresh blood and steady flow and the period can start with bright red bleeding and then darken toward the end of the period.
And some people have bright red blood during their entire period.
You should be worried about blood when you wipe if the blood in your poop is more black or tar like as it can signal and mean that you have an issue in your stomach or small intestine.
If you only have blood when you wipe and not in your poop then it can be anal fissures or hemorrhoids.
If the blood in your poop does not clear up within a few days or gets worse you should worry and see a doctor or go urgent care or the ER if it continues..
Also if you have any rectal bleeding that is also accompanied by pressure or rectal pain, fever, vomiting, nausea, bloody diarrhea or lightheadedness then you should seek medical attention right away.
Small amounts of blood in your poop are okay as long as it clears up within a day or two.
However any amount of blood in your poop that does not go away within a few days is not okay and you should see a doctor.
You should go to the doctor if you poop blood and it's dark red or causes tar like colored poop.
Or if the bloody poop does not go away within a few days or gets worse then you should go to the doctor or urgent care about it.
It is not always serious when you poop blood unless the poop in the blood does not go away or gets worse.
If you notice a tiny amount of blood in your poop it's usually nothing to worry about unless it does not go away within a day or so or you notice a severe amount of blood.
When you poop blood it can mean several different things such as hemorrhoids, diverticular bleeding, colon cancer, rectum tears, intestine tears or problems with your stomach.
Most cases of blood in your poop are not serious unless it happens too often or does not clear up within a few days.
Cancerous blood in stool will look like dark red or black colors in your poop and can appear as streaks or even make your poop look like tar.
Non cancerous blood in your stool will appear as bright red but blood from cancer that is higher up in the bowel does not look bright red.
Blood in poop will look like streaks of bright red or dark red or even black streaks in the poop.
Spots of red blood on toilet paper or drops of red blood in the toilet bowl or even blood on the surface of the poop or in your underwear can indicate anus or rectal bleeding.
Dehydration can cause blood in stool as dehydration can lead to hard stools which can injure your anus or rectum while passing the stool which can lead to bleeding.
Hemorrhoids can also cause blood in the stool or even pushing too hard to poop and even diverticulitis can lead to blood in the stool.
Stress poop will usually look like mushy poop with fluffy pieces which have pudding shaped consistency.
The warning signs of IBS or irritable bowel syndrome are.
Excessive flatulence.
Bloating and swelling of the stomach.
Occasionally experiencing an urgent need to move your bowels or have a bowel movement.
A change in your bowel habits which include constipation or diarrhea or both.
Abdominal and stomach pain and cramping which can be most often relieved by moving your bowels.
Red flags for IBS or Irritable Bowel syndrome include blood in the stools (red blood or black, tarry stool) Fever, shaking chills, or night sweats, Nighttime symptoms that wake you up and unintentional weight loss.
The foods that can trigger IBS are cheese and other dairy products, high protein foods and diets, carbonated drinks, alcohol and coffee, cookies, chips and other processed foods and breads and cereals that are made with refined and not whole grains.
An IBS flare will usually cause symptoms such as belly pain and a change in bowel habits.
Bloating, Gas and Stomach Pain as well as abdominal cramping are common signs and symptoms of an IBS attack.
When you're experiencing an IBS attack you can feel bloated and gassy (flatulence).
You can also experience pain or cramps in your lower abdomen and feel an urgency to go to the toilet, alongside a change in bowel movements, including constipation, diarrhea or alternating bouts of both constipation and diarrhea.
When you have an IBS attack the IBS attack will feel like bloating, gas and stomach pain.
Your stomach can begin cramping and you may notice your stomach bloating along with the gas which can make you fart.