Vaginal bleeding after the first few weeks of life and before puberty may be considered abnormal and warrants a visit to your child's doctor. In newborn girls, withdrawal bleeding may occur as a normal response to maternal estrogen leaving the infant's uterine lining.
It usually appears as a small amount of blood when wiping or on underwear. Possible causes include birth control, pregnancy, menopause, and more. When people experience vaginal bleeding at times other than during normal menstruation, doctors refer to this as intermenstrual bleeding.
If your child suddenly develops blood in their bowel movements and also becomes lethargic, or has abdominal pain, fever, vomiting, a distended (swollen) abdomen, or other unusual symptoms, call their health care provider immediately.
Blood in the stool is usually not a serious problem in young children, but you should always call a pediatrician to make sure.
In young children, blood in the stool is mainly due to constipation or anal fissures, but a cause that many parents do not anticipate is a sign of colon polyps. In fact, cases of colon polyps have symptoms similar to constipation. Cases of colon polyps need to be examined before they can be detected.
Anal fissures: These small tears are the most common cause of rectal bleeding in children. They can hapen when passing a large or hard stool, which stretches the lining of the anus until it tears, or when frequent diarrhea irritates the lining.
“Sometimes blood in the stool can be caused by benign conditions such as hemorrhoids, a small fissure after constipation or an infection and can resolve on its own,” he says. “However, bleeding from cancer or inflammatory bowel disease can also be intermittent, and so any bleeding needs to be investigated.”
Often, blood in stool is a sign of hemorrhoids or piles. In some cases, however, it can be a sign of a more serious condition, such as bowel cancer or internal bleeding. It is always best to check with a doctor if you notice blood in your stool.
In many cases, rectal bleeding is associated with minor and easily treatable conditions, such as hemorrhoids. However, if you notice bright red blood in the stool, you should consult your physician and have a physical exam.
If your stool is bright red or black — which may indicate the presence of blood — seek prompt medical attention. Food may be moving through the large intestine too quickly, such as due to diarrhea. As a result, bile doesn't have time to break down completely.
Seek urgent medical attention if: the bleeding is very heavy. you have signs of shock like rapid, shallow breathing, dizziness, nausea or confusion. you have black or dark red poos.
Blood from higher up in the bowel doesn't look bright red. It goes dark red or black and can make your poo look like tar. This type of bleeding can be a sign of cancer higher up the bowel.
Common benign (non-serious) causes — If you see a small amount of bright red blood on the toilet paper after wiping, on the outside of your stool, or in the toilet, this may be caused by hemorrhoids or an anal fissure.
Blood in your stool may come from the upper GI tract. The most common cause of this is peptic ulcer disease. 2 Ulcers are sores in the lining of the stomach or upper intestine. Blood from a peptic ulcer can be red or it can be black and tarry.
There are several likely causes of mild rectal bleeding that does not require treatment, such as temporary constipation or hemorrhoids, as well as dehydration, which can result in hard stools that injure the anus or rectum while passing. In most cases, the bleeding stops once the underlying cause has been resolved.
For instance, spicy foods can cause either constipation or diarrhea in people, and the straining that you do during bowel movements can cause bleeding. At this time, try to avoid major irritant foods such as spicy food, alcohol, caffeine, processed meats like hot dogs and bacon, dairy products, and fried foods.
Occasional minor to mild rectal bleeding is common and will often not need medical attention or treatment. Severe, chronic, or painful rectal bleeding may be a sign of a more serious underlying condition, which a doctor should assess.
About rectal bleeding
This is a typical sign of piles (haemorrhoids) or a small tear (anal fissure) in the skin of your anus. Although these are common problems, don't let embarrassment stop you seeing your GP. You should always get rectal bleeding checked to rule out more serious causes.
Hemorrhoids in children are caused by children sitting on hard surfaces for too long, straining to have a bowel movement, having an unbalanced diet, inflammatory bowel disease, being sedentary or inherited from parents.
Anal Fissure or Tear
An anal fissure is the most common cause of blood in the stools. It causes blood on the surface of a stool. Blood may also be found on toilet tissue after wiping. The blood is always bright red.
Having an allergy to milk can cause hives, stomach upset, and blood in stools — particularly in infants. Trigger foods and beverages include anything containing milk, so a person may wish to avoid all dairy products and products containing milk proteins.
Colorectal cancers can often bleed into the digestive tract. Sometimes the blood can be seen in the stool or make it look darker, but often the stool looks normal. But over time, the blood loss can build up and can lead to low red blood cell counts (anemia).