Pain in upper left abdomen after pooping

You have probably experienced some form of pain in your upper, mid, or lower stomach area at one point, if not more often. In fact, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention reports that 32.7 million patients visit their physicians because of digestive system reasons. And while it may be comforting to know you are not alone in your pain, it can be critical for your health that you are able to differentiate when stabbing pain in your upper stomach is a one-time, non-fatal instance, or if it requires further medical attention. After all, a stomach ache is one thing, but recurring abdominal pain isn't normal.

But what causes stomach pain? Indigestion, constipation, ovulation pain, and post-period cramps can cause abdomen pain in adults, but an ulcer, urinary tract infection, or cancer can also be underlying causes of recurring abdominal pain, according to WebMD. You'd think that the amount of pain would be the biggest factor in determining whether or not something is dire, but that's not always the case. "I'm always impressed by the amount of pain that gas, constipation, and diarrhea can create in someone's abdomen," Dr. Genevieve Brauning, a family medicine doctor with Novant Health SouthPark Family Physicians, tells Woman's Day. "Just plain old gas can sometimes create very intense pain for people, and it can get trapped in areas where your appendix is or where your gallbladder [is]," causing you to think it's something more serious.

However, you can usually determine whether or not your stomach pain requires medical attention by keeping in mind a few key factors: Where the pain is located, how severe it is, and whether it's accompanied by other symptoms, such as burping, fever, or weight loss. That said, though, here are some of the most common signs and causes that the stabbing pain in your stomach might require attention from a medical professional.

A fever is one of the symptoms doctors call "red flag symptoms," Dr. Brauning explains. "If you have stabbing pain anywhere, and you also have a fever, you need a doctor," she says.

Fevers are often a sign of infection, and if it's accompanied by stomach pain, then it could indicate a serious infection like appendicitis, which is inflammation of the appendix, or colitis, inflammation of the colon.

Blood is another huge red flag, Dr. Brauning says. If you have stomach pain and you're losing blood — you're vomiting blood or you have bloody diarrhea or blood in your stool — then you need immediate medical attention.

Sharp abdominal pain accompanied with bloody stools or vomit (or any vomiting at all) could indicate inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) such as Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis, which require medical treatment. Blood and stomach pain could also indicate an ulcer, colon cancer, or bacterial infections (like those caused by E. coli and salmonella).

If you develop an aching or stabbing pain, or feel pressure in the upper abdominal area just under the ribs, this may indicate a heart-related problem, Kristine Arthur, M.D., internist at Orange Coast Memorial Medical Center, tells Woman's Day. "This is particularly true if the pain persists or you have other symptoms, like shortness of breath."

In the vast majority of cases, this type of pain in the epigastric area is related to an acid issue, like acid reflux or heartburn, according to Dr. Brauning. "One thing that we want to make sure of when people have really bad pain in that area, is the possibility of pancreatitis, which is an inflammation of the pancreas," she says. Pancreatitis can be caused by heavy alcohol use, cystic fibrosis, and autoimmune conditions. It requires treatment and can become a chronic condition.

Dr. Arthur also says that anyone with risk factors, such as diabetes, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure, should see a doctor as soon as possible to rule out something more serious.

If you've hit the drive-thru for a high-fat meal and shortly after find yourself in extreme pain that doesn't dissipate, it could be a sign of a gallbladder attack, Hardeep Singh, M.D., a gastroenterologist at St. Joseph Hospital, tells Woman's Day. The gallbladder is a small pear-shaped sac that sits underneath your liver, and its main function is to store bile and pass it along to the small intestine, where fat gets digested. When the gallbladder becomes inflamed — usually due to gallstones blocking the duct that leads to the small intestine, causing bile to build up — it can lead to gallbladder disease.

Vague upper- and mid-abdominal pain that occurs with nausea and burping could indicate a heart attack, Robert Glatter, M.D., national spokesman for the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP), tells Woman's Day. Vomiting that also brings on back or jaw pain, and feeling short of breath could also signal a life-threatening emergency, he adds.

In all of these cases, it's important to get to the emergency room right away. "Obtaining a simple ECG and even ordering cardiac markers known as troponin may be lifesaving," Dr. Glatter says.

Knife-like, stabbing pain that attacks the lower stomach area towards the back and is accompanied by nausea, vomiting, fever, and chills could be a sign of kidney stones, Dr. Glatter says. If that's the case, get to your doctor as soon as possible. A CT scan will be used to diagnose the stone and NSAIDs provide pain relief, he adds. Otherwise, rescue narcotics (potent, immediate-relief drugs) may be required to relieve continued pain, and alpha blockers (medication used to relax blood vessels and increase blood flow) may be helpful in allowing larger stones to pass.

Episodic pain or pain coming in waves

Kidney stones, Dr. Brauning says, can cause pain anywhere in the belly. "We typically think of them as causing back pain, because that's where the kidneys are — kind of towards the back," she says. "But as a stone travels down, it can sometimes create pain in the front."

You can distinguish kidney stone pain from other pain by paying attention to when it happens. Like gallstone pain, the pain from kidney stones is often episodic and will come in waves, Dr. Brauning says.

In most cases, she says doctors will keep patients hydrated and give them medication to help them pass the stones. In some cases, doctors have to surgically remove the stones or break them up.

A sudden pain in the right side of the lower abdomen, especially if it's accompanied by a fever, may be a sign of appendicitis, Dr. Arthur says. This pain often begins around the belly button area and moves to the lower abdomen, gets worse with time, and could also cause fever, chills, vomiting, diarrhea, or constipation.

If you experience these symptoms and the pain is persistent, comes on out-of-nowhere, or lasts for several hours, Dr. Arthur says to get to an emergency room immediately. Appendicitis often requires surgery, and if left untreated a ruptured appendix can be deadly.

Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)

If you're experiencing bloat and either diarrhea or constipation with lower abdominal cramps, that could be a sign of irritable bowel syndrome, or IBS, Dr. Singh says. The chronic condition affects 25 to 45 million people in the U.S. population, according to the International Foundation for Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders. While it can develop at any age, most are under 50 years old, and about two of every three IBS sufferers are female.

When you experience stomach pain symptoms associated with IBS, Dr. Singh says the best course of action is to turn to remedies that will immediately help relieve your pain. IBS can also be controlled long-term by managing your diet and stress in a healthy manner, though your doctor may also recommend medication and counseling.

When mid-abdominal pain occurs suddenly — especially in people with a history of peptic ulcer disease or in those who take excessive amounts of aspirin or NSAIDs — it could indicate a perforation has happened in your stomach, Dr. Glatter says.

Perforations are considered a surgical emergency because if they're not taken care of right away, the presence of free air and gastric contents can lead to a serious condition known as peritonitis, which is when a bacterial or fungal infection causes inflammation of the peritoneum, a silk-like membrane that covers the organs in your abdomen. "This may lead to septic shock as a result of contamination in the abdominal cavity," Dr. Glatter explains. Septic shock requires surgery to seal the leak, and if it's not done fast enough, your organs may begin to shut down and it could ultimately be fatal.

Abdominal pain in the left lower area of the abdomen may signify diverticulitis, small pockets in the colon that can become obstructed and perforate. It's usually more common in older patients, says Dr. Brauning.

Luckily, a trip to urgent care may be all you need, as traditional treatment includes antibiotics and stool softeners to reduce the risk of abscess formation, he explains. Research suggests that antibiotics may not actually be required though, so Dr. Glatter says your doctor may try simple pain meds, like acetaminophen, to see if that's enough before trying more hardcore medications.

If you find yourself completely incapacitated by your stomach pain, you might be suffering from porphyria, a group of disorders that result from a buildup of natural chemicals that produce porphyrin in your body. With this, you might also experience weakness, numbness of the extremities, and neuropsychiatric changes like developing anxiety or depression.

"A person with porphyria may have symptoms for over a decade before being diagnosed and treated," Gregory Sayuk, M.D., M.PH, and Associate Professor of Medicine and Psychiatry at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, tells Woman's Day. "It's a rare disorder and it's only when patients bring it up to their doctors that they get a diagnosis."

Dr. Brauning notes that severe pain on either the right or left side could indicate a reproductive health problem, such as a ruptured ovarian cyst or an ectopic pregnancy.

With a ruptured ovarian cyst, sharp, sudden pain on the lower left or right side of your stomach might be accompanied by nausea, vomiting, pelvic pressure, and urinary pain or frequent urination, Dr. Brauning says. A ruptured cyst can also cause vaginal spotting or bleeding as well as bloating.

Usually, you can treat the symptoms with over-the-counter medications, according to Johns Hopkins University. But if you have severe nausea and vomiting, fever, heavy vaginal bleeding, or faintness or dizziness, seek immediate medical attention.

An ectopic pregnancy is when a fertilized egg attaches itself to the fallopian tube, abdominal cavity, or cervix rather than the uterus. Ectopic pregnancies can cause severe pain on one side of the abdomen, rectal pressure, light or heavy vaginal spotting or bleeding, and dizziness or fainting, according to Healthline. Ectopic pregnancies can be life-threatening and require immediate medical treatment.

If you have indigestion with sharp stomach pain, it could indicate an ulcer. "You can get an ulcer in your stomach lining or in the first part of the small intestine," Dr. Brauning says. "They can cause very intense pain [from] ulcerations."

Not all stomach ulcers cause indigestion though, according to Medical News Today, so you should also look out for a biting or "gnawing" pain that can sometimes be alleviated by eating or taking antacids.

Some people don't notice stomach ulcers until they start bleeding, which can cause black and sticky stools or blood in vomit. Rarely, some untreated stomach ulcers can lead to a hole in the stomach wall, which can lead to infection and requires immediate medical attention.

Physicians treat stomach ulcers by figuring out what is causing them (like excessive use of ibuprofen) and then reducing acid in the patient's diet. Surgery might be necessary in some cases.

Unintentional weight loss

Dr. Sayuk says unintentional weight loss that accompanies stomach pain is a red flag symptom. "We always want to keep an eye on symptoms that raise the need to do additional diagnostic testing earlier in the diagnosis process," he explains.

If you have stabbing stomach pains, are losing weight unintentionally, have anemia, and/or have a family history of gastrointestinal cancers or inflammatory bowel diseases, you need to let your doctor know in order to quickly diagnose a potentially serious disease, like cancer.

Dr. Brauning says abdominal pain anywhere and weight loss are "a signal to us that we need to make sure something systemic isn't going on." Inflammatory bowel disease and chronic pancreatitis are two serious conditions that could cause unexplained weight loss.

Elizabeth Berry Editorial Assistant Elizabeth Berry (she/her) is the digital editorial assistant for Woman’s Day, where she covers seasonal recipes, holiday gift ideas, and other lifestyle topics for the website.

Can bowel problems cause left side pain?

When should I worry about upper left abdominal pain?

Can bowel problems cause upper abdominal pain?

Can bowels cause pain under left rib?