Hmm blood – that’s not normal….

There have been a lot of comments lately about seeing blood when having a bowel movement.  Not a normal occurrence and something that quite frankly can be a bit unnerving.

If you see blood in your stool or when you wipe – ask yourself a couple of questions:

  1.  Have you eaten anything red in the last couple of days? Beets, watermelon, red velvet cake – things along those lines that are really red in color.  Foods you eat can affect the color of your output.  If that’s the case, lay off the red foods and give it a day or two for everything to work through your system.   If you’re still seeing red – schedule an appointment with your doctor.
  2. Have you been constipated, having to work a little harder than normal to make things flow? Is the blood bright red?  If this sounds familiar, then most likely you are experiencing problems with hemorrhoids.  Start drinking more water and add fiber into your diet to get things moving more smoothly.  If the constipation is a thing of the past, and you’re still seeing  blood – schedule an appointment with your doctor.
  3. Is the blood more of a deep color, perhaps even brownish? This would indicate that the blood is coming from higher up in the intestinal track, perhaps even from the stomach area.  Don’t mess around with this one, schedule an appointment with your doctor.

In any of the above cases, if the symptoms persist for more than a couple of days, even if there isn’t any pain or discomfort, schedule an appointment with your doctor.

Submitted by Tina Comston, M.Ed.

Reviewed by Mary Lynn Kiacz, M.D.

20 thoughts on “Hmm blood – that’s not normal….

  1. hey this blog has been helpful but I am still unsure. I’m an 18 year old female, 5ft6 and don’t consider myself overweight. I go to the gym at least 4 times a week, drink plenty of water and get enough fiber. Every now and again there’s a little bit of bright red blood on the toilet paper when I wipe and I am not constipated and it is not painful. This has been happening on and off for a few years now and I don’t want to go see my doctor incase it’s nothing and I’m embarrassed.

    • Sam,

      Never be embarrassed about discussing something with your doctor. They have heard it all. It is much better to suffer a little bit of embarrassment and find out nothing is wrong than to let a situation continue for years and find out that because you put off talking to your doctor you now have a serious problem. Schedule an appointment.

  2. i’ve read all the posts feom the previous blog and followed it here. What does it mean if besides just a tiny bit of bright red blood on the tissue, if there is also sometimes a thin streak of it seen in the poop. Like along the side of it. It’s only when there is strain, slight constipation. I hypo thyroid so comstipation is sorta common…..

  3. Hello I’m a female 5.3″, 115 lbs, and 18 years old. A few months ago, I would notice blood when I poop. Sometimes it would be pink on the toilet paper. Sometimes it would be a deep red with blood clots. Sometimes, the toilet bowl would be a bright red and I can feel the blood drip from my butthole. It got better for a while but recently I would start seeing red on the toilet paper again. I’ve been waiting it out.

  4. I am 17 year old female. I had constipation and I saw blood when I wiped, but it was light. Then to check I went after sometime the same happened I saw light blood colour on toilet paper. Then to recheck I went again there was nothing it was normal. It is first time I am noticing something like this my mother is a doctor she just told me that it’s normal but I am not satisfied. I just finished my periods a day before this happened, they were of almost 8 days. Plz help me.

    • If it happens again, don’t flush and have your mother take a look. If she still thinks it’s normal, then trust her.

  5. help. i have been bleeding when i urinate for 2 weeks and every now and then ill urinate and blood only on toilett paper. and today i went to go pee and i was soaked in blood and its not my period. started feeling light headed and out of breath

  6. Hi, I’m 16 and Male. I first noticed blood coming after I got out of the shower. I haven’t been eating any red foods, but I have been sitting a lot, being in highschool and right after I got a haircut. I am not over weight and I am small. The blood is a red and stopped after a while, but my question is, are hemorrhoids something that stay there? And if not how long does it last? I do plan on telling my parents and visiting the doc.

  7. I ate a Big Mac yesterday small fries and drank water with electrolytes in it. By the time I came home from work I had abdominal cramps and had to strain for the first part of the movement to come out..then the gates opened up and my stool became lava. After the 7th bowel movement..there blood coming out and it no longer looked like bowel. Had abdominal cramps all night. Had the urge to have another bowel movement this morning and it was blood that came out. When I wiped again there was nothing but stomach cramping still there as well as the urge to go on. There couldn’t be nothing left in there. Please advise.

    • I have found that whenever I am being particularly mindful of my health and then treat myself to something like McDonalds I will end up with abdominal cramps and experience a similar lava type situation. Never, though, have I had that followed by blood. If the bleeding continues I would recommend that you contact your doctor or visit an urgent care to get things checked out.

  8. hi , I’m lili and today I went in the restroom after urinating I wiped myself , I noticed blood on the toilet paper but it wasn’t alot it was a little bit of blood , I then wiped again to check and no more blood .. anyways I had anal sex 3 weeks ago well on October 26 … And this month I haven’t gotten my period … what does this mean ?

    • Lili, If it’s been about a month it could be your period starting, just starting out really light. It’s really impossible to determine what the information above. Keep an eye on it and if you continue to see blood, call your doctor.

  9. I am a 37 year old female and have a terminal illness which is causing me to be asleep a lot. I weigh 110 and 5’2″ and I went to the bathroom and I usually have loose movements but I noticed when I went to the bathroom I went poo and was bleeding. I thought I started my period. Then it stopped. a week later again when I went to the bathroom its bright red blood again. I wipe and it’s in the toilet . I was kind of constipated. I am totally embarrassed to go to the dr. If it is a hernia I can be rid of it without treatment?

  10. I’m a 13 year old female that weighs 94 pounds and is 4,11 and I went pee and I wiped and there was a little dot of blood I have never gotten my period but has had cramps and Nassau this past week and I don’t know what it is. Please help

  11. I had anal sex just about three days ago. I tried to go #2 but couldn’t. a little came out it was like watery. when I wiped there was a dot of blood. and this has been going on for the past three days. what does their mean?

  12. Hi, I’m 12 and female. I went #2 last night & when i wiped there were a few specks/dots of blood. I haven’t had my period of this month, but i dont think it is my period. I have been a little constipated for the past day, but it wasnt very serious. I know this might be a dumb question, but can hemrhoids (sorry not sure how to spell it exactly) can kill someone? I was just curous, so i thought i’d ask, but please help.

  13. HI Im olnly 12 years old male. Today I went to use the restroom and after takeing a poop I saw some blood on the toilet paper and on every toilet paper was blood. I got realy nervouse i looked at my butt useing a mirror and I saw a bit of blood next too my butt. I´m realy scared and i hope i dont have cancer or ebola pls help.

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