Bleeding can occur for a range of reasons, including bowel inflammation , a tear or tissue damage in the intestines, a bleeding ulcer, or a tumor , which may indicate bowel cancer.
Everyday factors can also cause dark stool, such as eating blueberries or licorice or taking iron tablets. However, if a person is bleeding from the rectum or they notice blood in their stool, they should speak to a doctor right away. People with chronic constipation may strain too much and develop hemorrhoids.
These are small pockets of tissue around the rectum and a common site of bleeding in the lower gastrointestinal tract. Minor hemorrhoid bleeding is not a cause for concern, but a large amount of bright red blood in stool constitutes an emergency. It could indicate a damaged area of the intestinal tract that requires swift medical attention. Severe abdominal pain and constipation can result from several urgent health issues that may require surgery to correct.
People should not ignore severe abdominal pain, especially when it accompanies constipation. Seek immediate medical treatment when these symptoms occur together. Vomiting stool or bile can indicate a bowel obstruction. The vomit may smell like stool, and it may be dark brown or brown-purple.
If a person vomits bile , the vomit may be greenish-yellow. Vomiting stool is a medical emergency that requires decompression of the stomach. If possible, the doctor will insert a tube through the nose — a nasogastric tube — and use it to suck out the stomach contents.
Long term constipation can develop into fecal impaction , which involves hard, dry stool becoming stuck in the rectum and blocking other stool from passing.
A person with fecal impaction may feel the need to have a bowel movement but be unable to push anything out. Fecal impaction can cause pain and vomiting. People may need emergency treatment or a hospital visit. Some doctors speculate it's because our colons are slightly longer, adding more twists and turns—and potential roadblocks—to our digestive tracts.
But while the bloating and abdominal pain associated with a gridlocked gut may be common, the symptoms aren't something you should simply flush down the drain.
Translation: The last thing you want to do when there's a kink in your pipes is partake in anything that might plug you up even more. To help move things along when you just can't go, make it a point to avoid these poop-blocking behaviors:. If you want your inner plumbing to flow smoothly, you have to feed it the right type of food.
It's no secret that processed foods are high in fat, which slows down digestion and contributes to constipation. But, according to Toyia James-Stevenson, M. That's because our intestines don't have the enzymes that are necessary to properly break them down. Rather than cracking open a bag of who-knows-what's-in-these chips, set your sights on gastro-friendly grub that's high in fiber and comes straight from the earth. These include fruits, vegetables, beans, nuts, brown rice, wheat, and oats.
While you might need an early-morning coffee fix or a nightly wine-and-dine for your sanity, swigging excess caffeine and alcohol could rob your body of the hydration it needs to have a proper bowel movement. Likewise, caffeine is a stimulant that can cause the opposite effect of diarrhea in some individuals. Water might not exactly be a beverage that'll turn your mood around on a dime, but it's the best thing to pour in your glass when you're feeling stopped up.
If you like to have options in terms of flavor, prune juice is the go-to alternative to the clear stuff for constipation relief. If you are a Mayo Clinic patient, this could include protected health information.
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You will also receive emails from Mayo Clinic on the latest health news, research, and care. Constipation most commonly occurs when waste or stool moves too slowly through the digestive tract or cannot be eliminated effectively from the rectum, which may cause the stool to become hard and dry.
Chronic constipation has many possible causes. Neurological problems can affect the nerves that cause muscles in the colon and rectum to contract and move stool through the intestines. Causes include:. Problems with the pelvic muscles involved in having a bowel movement may cause chronic constipation. These problems may include:. Hormones help balance fluids in your body. Diseases and conditions that upset the balance of hormones may lead to constipation, including:.
Constipation care at Mayo Clinic. Mayo Clinic does not endorse companies or products. Advertising revenue supports our not-for-profit mission. This content does not have an English version. This content does not have an Arabic version. This softens your stools and stimulates your body to pass them. Commonly prescribed osmotic laxatives include lactulose and macrogols.
As with bulk-forming laxatives, make sure you drink enough fluids. It will usually be 2 to 3 days before you feel the effect of the laxative. If your stools are soft, but you still have difficulty passing them, your pharmacist may recommend a stimulant laxative.
This type of laxative stimulates the muscles that line your digestive tract, helping them to move stools and waste products along your large intestine to your anus. The most commonly prescribed stimulant laxatives are senna, bisacodyl and sodium picosulphate. These laxatives are usually only used on a short-term basis, and they start to work within 6 to 12 hours.
According to your individual preference and how quickly you need relief, your pharmacist may decide to combine different laxatives. If you've had constipation for a short time, your pharmacist will usually advise you to stop taking the laxative once your stools are soft and easily passed. However, if your constipation is caused by an underlying medical condition or a medicine you're taking, your GP may advise you to take laxatives for much longer, possibly many months or even years.
If you've been taking laxatives for some time, you may have to gradually reduce your dose, rather than coming off them straight away. If you have been prescribed a combination of laxatives, you'll normally have to reduce the dosage of each laxative, one at a time, before you can stop taking them. This can take several months. Faecal impaction occurs when stools become hard and dry and collect in your rectum. This obstructs the rectum, making it more difficult for stools to pass along.
Sometimes as a result of impaction, overflow diarrhoea may occur where loose stools leak around the obstruction. You may have difficulty controlling this. If you have faecal impaction, you'll initially be treated with a high dose of the osmotic laxative macrogol.
After a few days of using macrogol, you may also have to start taking a stimulant laxative. If you're pregnant, there are ways for you to safely treat constipation without harming you or your baby.
Your pharmacist will first advise you to change your diet by increasing fibre and fluid intake. You'll also be advised to do gentle exercise. If dietary and lifestyle changes don't work, you may be prescribed a laxative to help you pass stools more regularly.
Lots of laxatives are safe for pregnant women to use because most aren't absorbed by the digestive system. This means that your baby won't feel the effects of the laxative. Laxatives that are safe to use during pregnancy include the osmotic laxatives lactulose and macrogols. If these don't work, your pharmacist may recommend taking a small dose of bisacodyl or senna stimulant laxatives. However, senna may not be suitable if you're in your third trimester of pregnancy, because it's partially absorbed by your digestive system.
Read more about constipation and other common pregnancy problems. If your baby is constipated but hasn't started to eat solid foods, the first way to treat them is to give them extra water between their normal feeds. If you're using formula milk, make the formula as directed by the manufacturer and don't dilute the mixture. You may want to try gently moving your baby's legs in a bicycling motion or carefully massaging their tummy to help stimulate their bowels.
If your baby is eating solid foods, give them plenty of water or diluted fruit juice. The best fruits for babies to eat to treat constipation are:. Never force your baby to eat food if they don't want to. If you do, it can turn mealtimes into a battle and your child may start to think of eating as a negative and stressful experience.
If your baby is still constipated after a change in diet, they may have to be prescribed a laxative. Bulk-forming laxatives aren't suitable for babies, so they'll usually be given an osmotic laxative. However, if this doesn't work, they can be prescribed a stimulant laxative. For children, laxatives are often recommended alongside changes to diet.
Osmotic laxatives are usually tried first, followed by a stimulant laxative if necessary. As well as eating fruit, older children should have a healthy, balanced diet , which also contains vegetables and wholegrain foods, such as wholemeal bread and pasta. Try to minimise stress or conflict associated with meal times or using the toilet.
It's important to be positive and encouraging when it comes to establishing a toilet routine. Allow your child at least 10 minutes on the toilet, to make sure they've passed as many stools as possible. To encourage a positive toilet routine, try making a diary of your child's bowel movements linked to a reward system. This can help them focus on using the toilet successfully. Constipation rarely causes any complications or long-term health problems. Treatment is usually effective, particularly if it's started promptly.
However, if you have long-term chronic constipation, you may be more at risk of experiencing complications. In some cases, bleeding is the result of a small tear around the anus anal fissure , but it's more often caused by haemorrhoids piles.
Piles are swollen blood vessels that form in the lower rectum and anus. As well as bleeding, piles can also cause pain, itching around the anus, and swelling of the anus. The symptoms of piles often settle down after a few days without treatment. However, creams and ointments are available to reduce any itching or discomfort. Long-term constipation can increase the risk of faecal impaction, which is where dried, hard stools collect in your rectum and anus.
Once you have faecal impaction, it's very unlikely that you'll be able to get rid of the stools naturally. Faecal impaction makes constipation worse because it's harder for stools and waste products to pass out of your anus, as the path is obstructed. Faecal impaction is usually treated with laxative medication, although suppositories medication inserted into the anus and mini enemas where medicine in fluid form is injected through your anus may sometimes be used.
There are a number of things you can do to prevent constipation, including making diet and lifestyle changes. Including enough fibre in your diet can significantly reduce your chances of developing constipation.
Most adults don't eat enough fibre. You should aim to have about 30g of fibre a day. You can increase your fibre intake by eating more:. Eating more fibre will keep your bowel movements regular, because it helps food pass through your digestive system more easily.
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