Pay attention to the color of the blood and the quantity of the blood which can help to indicate the cause of the problem. Most of the causes are minor, while other reasons may be more serious such as a large rectal polyp, colitis, anal, rectal or colon cancer. There are a number of reasons why people have bright red blood with or after a bowel movement. There is a big difference between bright red rectal bleeding vs. Yes this is scary to most, but don’t panic, the information below will help shed light on why we see blood. At times the bleeding happens without a bowel movement and the blood soaks the underwear or pants. Some of my patients share with me that the blood can drip or even stream into the bowl. It is not uncommon to see splotches of bright red blood in the bowl or blood on toilet paper after pooping.
