WHEN TO SEE YOUR DOCTOR

* The blood is dark red or maroon.

* Bleeding occurs between bowel movements.

* You have tarlike, black or rust-colored stools.

* You're older than 50.

* Your family has a history of colon or rectal cancer.

What Your Symptom Is Telling You

In most cases, bright red blood from the anus is more like an annoying car alarm than a screaming air-raid siren. Although anal bleeding is something that you should always bring to your doctor's attention, it's usually just your body's colorful and dramatic way of telling you that you have a hemorrhoid.

Just inside the anus are collections of blood vessels that act like inflatable cushions, forming a tight seal that helps prevent stool, flatus and mucus from leaking from your rectum. But if one of these vessels gets inflamed or droops out of its normal position on the rectal wall—often from intense straining during a bowel movement—it becomes a hemorrhoid. Besides itching or hurting, hemorrhoids can also bleed.

Bleeding also can be a sign of fissures (cracks in the skin surrounding the anus), ulcerative colitis or polyps. Blood that issues from your anus can also be coming from higher up in your digestive tract. That's why it's important to notify your doctor about any type of bleeding from your anus.

"About 99 percent of the time, it's just hemorrhoids, but it can be something more serious. Unfortunately, the average person just can't tell what type of bleeding is serious and what is not," says Scott Goldstein, M.D., a colon and rectal surgeon at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia.

Symptom Relief

If the bleeding is bright red and only occurs immediately after you've had a bowel movement, and you've had hemorrhoids before, then there are a number of things you can try to control it, says James Harig, M.D., associate professor of medicine in the Department of Digestive and Liver Diseases at the University of Illinois College of Medicine in Chicago. But you should still let your doctor know what is going on even if these simple remedies stop your bleeding.

Bring your own roll. "I tell my patients to use plain, two-ply toilet paper, even if it means bringing their own roll to work," Dr. Harig says. "Some people use cheap types of toilet paper and rub their bottoms raw to the point of bleeding. You should always use a soft paper and pat your bottom dry. Don't rub."

Trim your fingernails. Well-manicured fingernails may make a fashion statement, but long nails can be dangerous. "Once I was called to the emergency room because a woman was bleeding quite briskly," says Juan Nogueras, M.D., a colon and rectal surgeon at the Cleveland Clinic­Florida in Fort Lauderdale. "It turned out she had accidentally nabbed a hemorrhoid with a long fingernail while wiping her bottom."

Grease is the word. Try inserting a soothing daub of petroleum jelly into the anus before a bowel movement, suggest Dr. Harig. It can help ease the passage of stools.

Watch what you eat. Chew your food carefully and be aware that what goes in, must come out, even if you can't digest it. "It doesn't happen very often, but if a person swallows a small bone, it can cause cuts, tears and bleeding when it goes through the anus," says Philip Jaffe, M.D., an assistant professor of gastroenterology at the University of Arizona College of Medicine in Tucson.

Water, water everywhere. Drink six to eight glasses of water each day. Water helps keep your stool pliable so it will slip out of your body with a minimal amount of straining. The more you strain, the greater the chance you will have anal bleeding, says Dr. Nogueras.

Bulk up on fiber. Fibrous foods, such as fruits, vegetables, beans and whole-grain cereals, increase the bulk of the stool and, like water, decrease the amount of straining needed during a bowel movement. In turn, that lessens pressure on blood vessels and helps prevent bleeding.