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Dr. Chrysoula I. Liakou MD, PhD
- Treated online: Partly. A doctor can assess bleeding by video, treat common causes such as piles, and tell you how urgently you need tests; examinations and bowel tests are in person.
- Most common causes: piles and anal fissures, which cause bright red blood on the toilet paper or in the toilet.
- What the colour means: bright red blood usually comes from near the bottom; very dark or black, tar-like poo can mean bleeding higher up, such as from the stomach.
- See a doctor: if you have had blood in your poo for 3 weeks, or bleeding with weight loss, tiredness or a lasting change in your bowel habit.
- Emergency: call 112 for bleeding that will not stop, a lot of blood or large clots, black, tar-like poo, or vomiting blood.
Do not book a video appointment if you are bleeding non-stop from the bottom, the toilet water turns red or you pass large clots, you have black, tar-like poo, you are vomiting blood, or you feel dizzy or faint. Call 112 or go to an emergency department, and do not drive yourself.
Can an online doctor help with blood in poo?
Partly. A doctor can go through the bleeding by video, tell you what is most likely causing it, treat common causes such as piles and anal fissures, and tell you how urgently you need tests. Blood in poo cannot always be explained without an examination, and sometimes a bowel test such as a colonoscopy: bleeding that lasts, comes with other symptoms or does not fit a simple cause needs in-person care, and heavy bleeding needs 112.
How an online consultation helps with blood in poo
- Urgency made clear: Whether you need 112, tests soon, or treatment for a simple cause.
- The likely cause: The colour of the blood, where it appears and your other symptoms point to where it is coming from.
- Common causes treated: Piles and anal fissures can be treated by video, with a plan to check they settle.
- The right tests: When you need a home poo test, a blood test or a bowel examination, and what to ask for.
What the doctor checks in an online assessment of blood in poo
The doctor asks about the warning signs first, then works out where the blood is likely to come from. The doctor asks about:
- Warning signs: heavy or non-stop bleeding, large clots, black or dark red poo, dizziness or fainting, or vomiting blood.
- The blood: its colour, and whether it is on the paper, streaked on the poo, mixed into it, or turning the water pink.
- Pain: sharp pain when you poo, a lump or itching at the bottom, or pain in your tummy.
- Your bowels: constipation, diarrhoea, slime, and any change from your usual pattern, and for how long.
- Other symptoms: weight loss, tiredness or breathlessness, or a high temperature.
- Your health: blood thinners or aspirin, iron tablets, foods such as beetroot, bowel cancer or bowel disease in the family, and earlier bowel tests.
Before the call, note when the bleeding started, how often it happens and what it looks like. You choose what you show on camera.
What does blood in poo look like, and what does the colour mean?
The colour and where you see the blood are the best clues to where it comes from. Bright red blood usually comes from the lower bowel or the bottom; blood from higher up is digested on the way and turns the poo dark or black.
Swipe sideways to compare →
| What you see | What it usually means | Common causes | How urgent |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bright red blood on the toilet paper, red streaks on the poo, or pink water in the toilet | Bleeding near the bottom | Piles, an anal fissure; less often an infection caught through sex, blood thinners or aspirin | See a doctor if it lasts 3 weeks, or sooner with other symptoms |
| Blood mixed into the poo, or blood with slime | Bleeding from inside the bowel | A tummy bug, inflammatory bowel disease, an anal fistula, bowel polyps or bowel cancer | See a doctor promptly |
| Dark red poo, or bloody diarrhoea | Bleeding or inflammation in the bowel | Inflammatory bowel disease, an infection, and other causes | Urgent medical advice |
| Very dark or black, tar-like poo | Bleeding higher up, such as in the stomach | A stomach ulcer, or bleeding made worse by blood thinners or aspirin | Call 112 |
| Red water, large clots, or bleeding that will not stop | Heavy bleeding | Any of the causes above | Call 112 |
| Red or black poo, with no bleeding | Colour from food or medicines | Beetroot, tomatoes or red food colouring; iron tablets, liquorice or blueberries | Not urgent if it matches what you ate; a doctor can test the poo if unsure |
Blood when you wipe, but not in your poo
Blood only on the toilet paper usually comes from near the opening: piles or a small tear. Bright red blood with sharp pain when you poo points to an anal fissure; with itching or a lump, to piles. Painless bright red bleeding can also come from blood thinners, aspirin, or fragile blood vessels in the bowel. Even when a simple cause is likely, bleeding that lasts 3 weeks needs a doctor.
What causes blood in poo?
Most blood in poo comes from piles, especially bright red, fresh blood. Many other causes are also much less serious than cancer, but some need treatment or tests:
- Piles: bright red blood, with itching, lumps or pain when you poo.
- Anal fissure: a small tear, with bright red blood and sharp pain when you poo, often after constipation.
- A tummy bug: bloody diarrhoea with clear slime, and feeling or being sick; see gastroenteritis.
- Inflammatory bowel disease: ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s disease, with bloody diarrhoea, tummy cramps and bloating; see inflammatory bowel disease.
- Inflammation of the rectum (proctitis), or diverticular disease: bleeding from the lower bowel; see diverticulitis.
- Anal fistula: blood and yellow slime when you poo, an irritated bottom, or constant pain.
- Bowel polyps or bowel cancer: blood in the poo with a change in bowel habit, such as looser poo, diarrhoea or constipation, or slime.
- Stomach ulcer: dark or black poo, with tummy pain; see stomach ulcers.
- Medicines: blood thinners and aspirin can cause bleeding, bright red without pain, or dark poo.
Can constipation cause blood in your poo?
Yes, indirectly. Straining and passing hard poo can tear the lining of the bottom, causing an anal fissure, and make piles more likely. Both cause bright red blood. See the constipation page for what helps.
Can IBS cause blood in your poo?
No. Irritable bowel syndrome causes cramps, bloating, diarrhoea or constipation, and sometimes mucus, but not bleeding. Bleeding from your bottom or bloody diarrhoea could be a sign of something more serious and needs an urgent appointment.
Is blood in poo a sign of bowel cancer?
Sometimes, which is why it always needs checking. Most often it is from piles, especially bright red, fresh blood. But bleeding from the bottom can be a sign of bowel cancer, which is easier to treat when found early. The other symptoms of bowel cancer are a change in your poo that is not usual for you, needing to poo more or less often, tummy pain, a lump in your tummy, bloating, losing weight without trying, and feeling very tired or short of breath.
When should you worry about blood in your poo?
A small, one-off amount of bleeding is not usually serious and often stops without treatment, but a doctor can check it. How urgently you need to be seen depends on how much blood there is and what comes with it:
Swipe sideways to compare →
| How urgent | What you notice |
|---|---|
| Call 112 now | Bleeding that will not stop; a lot of blood, such as the toilet water turning red, or large clots; black, tar-like poo; vomiting blood; feeling dizzy or faint |
| Urgent medical advice | Dark red poo; bloody diarrhoea |
| See a doctor soon | Blood in your poo for 3 weeks; poo softer, thinner or longer than normal for 3 weeks; a lot of pain around your bottom; a pain or lump in your tummy; being more tired than usual; weight loss without trying |
| See a doctor if it happens again | A single small amount of bright red blood with a clear cause, such as a hard poo |
What tests might you need?
In person, a doctor may examine your bottom with a gloved finger, test a poo sample, including a home test that looks for tiny traces of blood, arrange blood tests, or refer you for a camera examination of the bowel, a sigmoidoscopy or colonoscopy. A US review for family doctors advises a full bowel examination for anyone over 40 with bleeding from the bottom, unless they have had a normal one in the past 10 years.
What might the doctor recommend for blood in poo?
What happens next depends on what the blood looks like and what comes with it. This is the framework the doctors use:
Swipe sideways to compare →
| What you have | Likely first step | Suitable for online care? | When in-person care is needed |
|---|---|---|---|
| A small amount of bright red blood after a hard poo, now stopped | Softer poo, and watching | Yes | If it comes back or lasts 3 weeks |
| Bright red blood with itching or a soft lump | Treatment for piles | Yes | If it does not settle, or a bowel examination is needed |
| Bright red blood with sharp pain when you poo | Treatment for an anal fissure | Yes | If it does not heal |
| Blood mixed into the poo, slime, or a change in bowel habit | A poo test, blood tests and often a bowel examination | Partly | For the examination and tests |
| Dark red poo, or bloody diarrhoea | Urgent assessment | Partly | Urgently, in person |
| Bleeding with weight loss, tiredness or a lump in the tummy | Prompt tests for bowel cancer and other causes | Partly | Promptly, for the tests |
| Heavy or non-stop bleeding, black, tar-like poo, vomiting blood, or feeling faint | Emergency care | No | Call 112 now |
Blood in your poo and not sure how urgent it is? A doctor can tell you in one consultation what to do next.
See available times →Treatment for blood in poo
Treatment depends on the cause, so the first step is finding it.
What you can do yourself
- Keep your poo soft with plenty of fluids and fibre, and do not strain.
- Do not take ibuprofen if your piles are bleeding; paracetamol is a better choice for pain.
- Keep a note of when you bleed, the colour of the blood and anything that comes with it, to tell the doctor.
- Check whether something you ate or a medicine, such as iron tablets, could explain the colour.
- Do not stop blood thinners or aspirin without speaking to a doctor.
Prescription treatment
A prescription is never issued without a consultation. What the doctor may prescribe depends on the cause: creams, suppositories or laxatives for piles, an ointment for an anal fissure, or treatment for an infection or inflammation once it has been confirmed. Bleeding without a clear cause needs tests before treatment. If the doctor prescribes, use the prescription at a pharmacy near you.
What does not help
Assuming bleeding is from piles without a check, especially when it lasts or comes with other symptoms. Waiting more than 3 weeks with ongoing bleeding. Stopping prescribed blood thinners on your own.
Special situations
What blood in poo can mean for women
The causes are the same as in men, and piles and anal fissures are the most common. Both are more likely in pregnancy and after giving birth; see piles in pregnancy. Check that the blood is coming from the bottom rather than the vagina or the urine, and tell the doctor if you are not sure.
Blood thinners and aspirin
These medicines can cause bright red bleeding without pain, or dark poo. Tell the doctor which one you take, and do not stop it without advice.
Blood in poo while travelling in Europe
Bloody diarrhoea on a trip can be a sign of a gut infection and needs a doctor; see travellers’ diarrhoea. Heavy bleeding or black, tar-like poo means 112 wherever you are.
Children
Mobi Doctor consultations are for adults aged 18 and over. A child who is unwell needs a paediatrician or a local doctor in person, and emergency signs in a child mean 112.
When blood in poo is treated online, and when you need in-person care
Treated online: bleeding from piles or an anal fissure, deciding how urgent bleeding is, and planning the tests you need.
In-person care: examination of the bottom, poo and blood tests, colonoscopy and other bowel examinations, bleeding that lasts or comes with other symptoms, and any heavy bleeding or black, tar-like poo.
When to get in-person care
Call 112 or go to an emergency department now for:
- bleeding from the bottom that will not stop
- a lot of blood, such as the toilet water turning red, or large blood clots
- black, tar-like poo
- vomiting blood or material like coffee grounds
- dizziness or fainting with bleeding
Get medical advice the same day for:
- dark red poo
- bloody diarrhoea
- bleeding with a very high temperature, or feeling hot, shivery and unwell
- pus leaking from your bottom
How Mobi Doctor works
- Book a time that suits you: daily 7am–11pm CEST. You can see a doctor over video, usually within 15 minutes. No subscription, and the exact price is shown before you pay.
- Speak to a licensed doctor about the bleeding: describe the colour and amount of blood and where you see it, how long it has happened, and any pain or change in your bowels.
- Leave with a plan: what to do, what to take and for how long, and which signs mean you should be seen in person. If the doctor prescribes, use the prescription at a pharmacy near you.
No sign-up needed
Blood in your poo can have more than one cause. Tick every symptom you have to see each condition page that mentions it. It finds the right page, not a diagnosis: a doctor gives you that on a video call.
Tap the body — an area or a point — to browse symptoms anywhere
Similar symptoms, different condition? Piles (haemorrhoids) can start the same way. Compare them, or look up any other symptom in the full symptom checker.
Frequently asked questions about blood in poo
When should I worry about blood in my poo?
Call 112 for bleeding that will not stop, a lot of blood or large clots, black, tar-like poo or feeling faint. Get urgent advice for dark red poo or bloody diarrhoea, and see a doctor if you have had blood in your poo for 3 weeks or have weight loss or tiredness.
Why is there blood when I wipe but not in my poo?
Blood only on the toilet paper usually comes from near the opening, most often piles or a small tear called an anal fissure. It still needs a doctor if it lasts 3 weeks or comes with other symptoms.
What does blood in poo look like?
Bright red blood on the paper, red streaks on the poo or pink water usually comes from near the bottom. Blood mixed into the poo or with slime comes from inside the bowel, and black, tar-like poo can mean bleeding from the stomach.
What causes bright red blood when I wipe?
Most often piles, which may itch or form a lump, or an anal fissure, which causes sharp pain when you poo. Blood thinners and aspirin can also cause painless bright red bleeding.
What does blood in poo mean for a woman?
The same as for men: piles and anal fissures are the most common causes, and both are more likely in pregnancy and after giving birth. Check the blood is from the bottom rather than the vagina or urine, and see a doctor if it continues.
Can IBS cause blood in poo?
No. IBS can cause cramps, bloating, diarrhoea, constipation and mucus, but not bleeding. Bleeding from the bottom or bloody diarrhoea needs an urgent appointment, because it could be something more serious.
Can constipation cause blood in poo?
Yes. Straining and hard poo can cause an anal fissure or make piles more likely, and both cause bright red blood. Softer poo usually helps them heal.
Is blood in poo a sign of cancer?
Sometimes, but most often it is from piles, especially bright red, fresh blood. Bleeding can be a sign of bowel cancer, which is easier to treat when found early, so bleeding that lasts or comes with other symptoms needs checking.
I have had bleeding from piles for 5 days. Should I be concerned?
Small amounts of bright red blood from piles are common, but see a doctor if home treatment is not helping, if the bleeding is getting heavier, or if you have not had bleeding checked before. Heavy or non-stop bleeding needs 112.
How long does blood in poo last, and when should it have stopped?
Blood from piles or an anal fissure usually stops within a few days once the poo is soft and straining stops, and comes back only with the next hard stool; blood from a tummy bug clears as the diarrhoea settles within a week. Bleeding that continues or keeps returning for 3 weeks, that is mixed into the poo, or that comes with a change in bowel habit, weight loss or tiredness needs tests, usually a stool test and a camera examination.
How can I prevent blood in my poo?
Most blood in poo comes from piles and fissures, which are prevented by avoiding constipation and straining: 25 to 30 g of fibre a day, enough water, regular exercise, not delaying the urge to go and not sitting long on the toilet. Limiting alcohol and anti-inflammatory painkillers protects the stomach lining, and taking up the bowel cancer screening test when invited catches the bleeding that matters before it is visible.
How do I stop piles bleeding when I poo?
To stop piles bleeding, keep your poo soft with fibre and fluids, do not strain or sit on the toilet longer than you need, and avoid ibuprofen while they are bleeding. If bleeding continues, a doctor can prescribe treatment or refer you for banding.
What can I do at home about blood in my poo?
If the blood is bright red, small in amount and you have piles or a fissure, keep your poo soft with fibre and water, avoid straining, wash rather than wipe hard, use a pharmacy cream for piles, and note how often it happens and what it looks like, ideally with a photo for the doctor. Do not treat dark or black poo, blood mixed through the stool or bleeding with pain and fever at home; those need assessment, and heavy bleeding needs 112.
Why is there blood when I pass wind?
A little blood or bloody mucus can come out with wind from the same places as other bleeding: most often piles or a fissure, and sometimes inflammation in the bowel. If it continues, or comes with diarrhoea, tummy pain or weight loss, see a doctor.
Can an online doctor help with blood in poo?
Partly. A doctor can assess the bleeding by video, tell you how urgent it is, treat piles and fissures, and tell you which tests you need. Examinations and bowel tests are done in person.
- Bleeding from the bottom (rectal bleeding), NHS, National Health Service (UK), reviewed 12 April 2023.
- Rectal bleeding, MedlinePlus, US National Library of Medicine, reviewed April 2026.
- Bowel cancer: symptoms, NHS, National Health Service (UK), reviewed 4 September 2026.
- Symptoms of bowel cancer, Cancer Research UK, reviewed 6 November 2024.
- Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS): symptoms, NHS, National Health Service (UK), reviewed 17 March 2025.
- Piles (haemorrhoids), NHS, National Health Service (UK), reviewed 1 April 2026.
- Anal fissure, NHS, National Health Service (UK), reviewed 26 June 2025.
- Hemorrhoids: diagnosis and treatment options, Mott T, Latimer K, Edwards C. American Family Physician, 2018.
This page is for information only and is not a substitute for a medical consultation. Guideline links are provided for transparency; treatment decisions are made with your doctor.
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