Bleeiding While Passing Stool

M.:

She could have a hemorrhoid that is broken. That happens in some women who are pregnant....they get hemorrhoids and they bleed. It's a tad early for hemorrhoids to happen at 8 weeks - unless this is her second or third baby...

If her stool is bloody - then she needs to see an gastroenterologist. They will do a colonoscopy to see if she has any internal problems.

Hemorrhoids are relatively common in pregnancy as there is more engorgement in the vascular area (blood vessels) due to pressure and circulation surrounding the baby. Constipation and / or diarrhea are also contributing factors, as well as "straining" to have bm.

On the flip side, and not to scare anyone, just be aware, rectal pain and bleeding may be symptoms of a much more serious problem. One of my former patients had rectal pain and bleeding throughout most of her pregnancy, constantly told by her OB, "just hemorrhoids, you will be fine once the baby is here", and finally four months after the baby was born, she insisted or her OB Dr. "do something", by then she could not sit directly on her bottom. She was referred to a surgeon and one exam, not hemorrhoids, but a RECTAL TUMOR, the size of a grapefruit.
Yes, cancer! She was 41 years old with a new baby and two other children.

Bleeding is a sign of something not right, though it may be a rather benign process, it certainly needs to be checked out.

If she's seeing bright red blood then it's probably nothing serious. Blood in her stool would be brownish red in color and that could indicate a problem that needs further investigation. At this point you might want to advise her to add more fruit and veggies into her diet and drink plenty of water to keep things moving along.

Sounds like hemorrhoids. I am surprised her OB sent her away for that as hemorrhoids are very common in pregnancy.

I'd never assume that bloody stool is JUST hemorrhoids. Always check with a primary care doctor when you have blood in your stool. It most likely is hemorrhoids, but there is also a very real possibility of it being more serious. My friend's dad died of colon cancer when we were in high school. A colonoscopy could have caught the cancerous polyps in time to save his life.

If she had hemorrhoids before getting pregnant or is over weight, then pregnancy will only make them worse.
A proctologist will be able to tell her what's going on and what the best treatment for it is.

http://www.proctology.us/surgery.php

Could be hemorrhoids or just anal fissures. I had the latter a lot while pregnant. Constipation leads to tough stools, and when you finally have to go, the extra pressure and strain to get it out causes tiny tears in the anal cavity...thus, bleeding. While it hurts a bit, it's nothing to cause alarm.

Drinking more water and stool softeners should help her.

Did the doctor rule out hemorrhoids? I suggest that the doctor is sending her to a gp because the gynecologist could not see a cause for the blood. This would require further testing which is better done by a gp who is more experienced in treating other conditions.

I think you're asking what other conditions could cause bleeding. I've had blood on the outside of my stool and I do not have hemorrhoids. And I've never been pregnant. The doctor said that the stool most likely caused a break in the mucous lining which caused the bleeding. This lining is tender and can be abraded (lining scratched) by something firm in the stool or a too firm stool.

I always wait before becoming concerned to see if this happens several times. It's never happened more than a couple of times in a row and only every once or twice in a year or so; so no need for concern. It needs to be checked out if it happens often or if you're worried about it and will only feel less stressed by seeing the doctor.

It bothers me that the gyn is sending her to another doctor. That means that the gyn saw nothing in her exam to give an indication of hemorroids.

I hope she gets to the referring doctor quickly to get this figured out.