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Rectal Bleeding

The rectum is the last portion of the large bowel (colon) that ends just before the anus. Bleeding from this area may result in the appearance of blood in your stools. If you notice any of the above signs of rectal bleeding, please see your doctor.

Rectal bleeding can take any of these forms:

• bright red blood coating the stools or in the stools
• blood in the toilet bowl after you have been for a motion
• dark or black tarry stools
• maroon stools
• blood on the toilet paper.

DESPITE THE NAME 'RECTAL BLEEDING'
blood in the stools does not always originate within the rectum. The source of the bleed could be anywhere along the gastrointestinal tract (even as far up as your stomach).

Facts About Rectal bleeding
First Edition 2006

Contents

• What is Rectal Bleeding?
• Where does the blood come from?
• What should I do if I see blood in my stools?
• I have noticed blood in my stools. Does this mean I have cancer?
• Does the amount of blood matter?
• What will the doctor do?
• What types of investigations might I need?
• What other tests are available?
• How is Rectal Bleeding treated?
• What if I continue to see blood in my stools even after undergoing treatment?

Download

Facts About Rectal Bleeding is now available to download or read online as an A4 size pdf file.
Rectal Bleeding (Adobe Acrobat PDF 816K)