In either case, it could also be a side effect of blood-thinning medications like aspirin. If it's very dark or black, the bleeding has likely happened higher up the digestive tract - it could be due to a stomach ulcer or diverticulitis, or bleeding in the stomach or gut. If you do think you've seen any bleeding from the bottom, you should see a GP."Īs she explains, if the blood is bright red, it may be a sign of haemorrhoids or a small tear ( fissure) in the anus. "It's worth noting that you should not attempt to self-diagnose. However, this is actually quite common and a small amount is not usually a serious problem," says Dr Faiza Khalid, a GP at Medicspot. "Seeing blood in the toilet or outside of your stool can often be alarming. The bad news is, you do need to get checked out. If this has happened to you, the good news is that there are a number of potential culprits, not all of which are cause for concern.
On top of that, embarrassment around the symptom can cause people to steer clear of the GP. If there's blood in your stool, or on the toilet paper, your instinctual response may be to panic. Seeing red in the toilet bowl can certainly be alarming.