The presence of blood in the stool during pregnancy can be caused by situations such as hemorrhoids, which are very common at this stage, anal fissure due to dryness of the faecal cake, but may also indicate some more serious situation such as a gastric ulcer or intestinal polyp, for example.
If the woman notices the presence of blood in her feces, she should go to the doctor for a stool test to confirm her presence, find out the cause, and initiate appropriate treatment.
4 Main causes
Some common causes of stool blood at this stage are:
1. Hemorrhoids
These are common during pregnancy due to increased weight in the abdominal region and may be aggravated by constipation which also usually develops during pregnancy.
- Signs and Symptoms: Live red blood in stool or toilet tissue after cleaning, as well as anal pain when standing or evacuating. In the case of external hemorrhoids you may feel a small soft ball around the anus.
- What to do: Observe the symptoms for more than 3 days and contact your doctor. If symptoms continue, a stool test may be needed, but the doctor may also look at the area to see an external hemorrhoid. Treatment should be done with increased fiber intake and increased water intake.
2. Anal fissure
Sometimes the stools become so hard and difficult to remove that when passing through the anus can cause small fissures that bleed whenever the feces pass through the place.
- Signs and symptoms: Live red blood in the stool, toilet paper after cleaning, and anal pain when standing or evacuating.
- What to do: Soften stools by consuming more fiber and more water. Do exercises to help loosen the intestine, avoid force when evacuating and clean the anus with moist tissues or soap and water, avoiding toilet paper.
3. Intestinal polyp
Polyps are small pedicles that develop in the intestine. They are usually discovered before the woman becomes pregnant, but when not removed, can cause bleeding when the dry stool passes where they are.
- Signs and Symptoms: Blood is usually mixed with feces
- What to do: To confirm what the doctor is, you can perform a colonoscopy, especially if the symptoms are severe or frequent. Treatment is usually done with removal of the polyp during colonoscopy.
4. Gastric ulcer
Gastric ulcer may worsen during pregnancy when the woman is very irritated or has frequent vomiting.
- Signs and symptoms: In this case the blood in the stool may be almost imperceptible, because it is partially digested. So the features include sticky, dark and very badly smelling stools.
- What to do: Go to the doctor for tests such as endoscopy that may indicate the bleeding site and thus decide on the treatment that can be done with antacids, strategies to keep calm and food pasty and easily digested.
Although it seems scary to find blood in the stool, this is a common sign in pregnancy because of the changes that occur in the woman's body and are usually due to constipation or the presence of hemorrhoids, which can occur during pregnancy.
However, the presence of blood in the stool is not one of the typical symptoms of pregnancy, because it usually happens in the second or third trimester of pregnancy. If you suspect you may be pregnant, see the first 10 symptoms of pregnancy and take our online test.
Warning signs to go to the emergency room
It is recommended to seek medical attention if you notice the presence of:
- Large amount of blood in stool;
- If you have a fever, even if it is low;
- If you have diarrhea in your blood;
- If you have been or have been ill in the past few days;
- If there is anal bleeding even without evacuation.
The doctor may order tests to identify what is happening and then indicate the most appropriate treatment for each need.
Learn how to properly collect stool to take the exam:
If the woman chooses, she can contact her obstetrician, indicating her signs and symptoms, because as she is already accompanying the pregnancy she may be easier to understand what is happening.
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