Mucus in Your Stool - What Does it Mean?

Finding mucus in stool could prove to be quite disturbing for people who might not know the reasons behind its appearance there. There are various reasons as to why mucus might appear in a person's stool, including irritable bowel syndrome, hemorrhoid formation, colitis, Crohn's disease, infections, and obstructions. If you understand the causes behind mucus in stool, you can prepare yourself better when it comes to dealing with this particular situation every time it arises.

Mucus in stool can be considered as normal sometimes. The intestines happen to produce mucus to maintain a properly lubricated inner intestine region and bits of the mucus can be eliminated through bowel movements. Sudden increases of mucus in stool have to be noted, though, and it might be a necessity to look for medical treatment if there is too much of it.

Every now and then, when a person gets hemorrhoids, he might also get mucus in stool. Usually, the initial indication of getting hemorrhoids would be this mucus presence in the stool. Inner hemorrhoids might even bleed, but people will usually not experience more discomfort with internal hemorrhoid formation. Conversely, outer hemorrhoid formation might come with mucus in stool, swelling, pain, irritation, itchiness, bleeding, and discomfort.

Whenever a person gets irritable bowel syndrome, or IBS, he might notice an increase in the mucus in stool. Whenever a person gets IBS, the intestines usually increase mucus production, which will be visible within bowel movements.

Colitis refers to a condition where there is swelling of the inner intestines that gets grossly aggravated and irritated, forming ulcers in that area. The latter ulcers produce both mucus and pus while the latter productions get passed through bowel movements. At the same time, a person might also get intestinal obstructions that will result in passing mucus in stool. These obstructions will have to be assessed by doctors to get proper treatment and in several cases, surgery might be warranted.

Crohn's disease refers to yet another known source for mucus in stool. This issue affects the digestive tract and its adjacent tissues. Usually, when a person gets Crohn's disease, mucus in stool comes with various symptoms such as unexplained fevers, malaise, exhaustion, blood in stool, abdominal pain, weight loss, and diarrhea. This condition could get quite serious and would require treatment and assessment from qualified professionals. In a lot of instances, a person with Crohn's disease might require treatment through surgical procedures and prescribed medications to reduce the disease's effects.

Various different infections have also been cited as sources of too much mucus in stool. If a person gets an infection, it would be vital to look for medical attention so the infection can be addressed properly with antibiotics. After the infection gets treated, the excess mucus in stool is going to subside.