Abdominal pain, commonly referred to as a stomachache, is a discomfort or ache felt anywhere between the chest and pelvis. It is one of the most frequent reasons people visit their doctor or seek medical advice. While abdominal pain can be mild and short-lived, it can sometimes indicate a more serious underlying condition. Understanding the causes and symptoms of abdominal pain is essential for managing it effectively. The nature of the pain: whether it is sharp, dull, crampy, or constant: can provide important clues about its origin. By learning to identify what might be causing your discomfort, you can make informed decisions about whether to manage it at home or seek professional care. This guide will help you navigate the possible causes of abdominal pain, when it might be a cause for concern, and practical ways to find relief. Whether it’s a simple case of indigestion or something more serious, being informed is the first step to feeling better. You can also get pain that feels like colic – waves of sharp pain that can stop and start suddenly. Common causes of this abdominal pain are kidney stones and gallstones.

Constipation can happen at any age but is particularly common in children. Let’s look at the science first. The food we eat goes through our stomach, into our small intestine where lots of the nutrients are absorbed, then into our large intestine (or colon) where most of the water is absorbed. After all these processes, you are finally left with stool. In the simplest terms, the less we drink, the harder and drier our stools are. So why does this matter more in children than adults? Well, as adults we have far more control over when we push out stool, and we accept that sometimes this can come with a bit of discomfort or pain. For a child, the pain of doing a poop is scary. They don’t understand it and they don’t like it. Therefore – like many learned habits at that age – they shy away from anything that causes discomfort and pain. This leads to a fear of going to the bathroom, which leads to a vicious cycle: more constipation, which, in turn, brings more discomfort.

Vomiting is common in children and can happen for a number of reasons. It’s usually due to an infection in the gut – gastroenteritis – and will clear in a day or two. Occasionally, it can indicate something serious, but other signs also guide you to recognize this. Gastroenteritis can also cause diarrhea – this may appear a few hours or a day after vomiting starts – and abdominal pain or cramps. Children usually have little appetite, and they may have a mild fever. If it lasts longer than a couple of days or they are struggling to keep fluids down, it’s time to contact your doctor.

Pregnancy brings exciting new beginnings, but it can bring new problems, too, as your body changes under the influence of hormones and the physical size of a growing baby. Constipation is one of these – it's common in the general population but even more common in pregnancy. Constipation describes either finding you are going less frequently or straining to have a bowel movement and producing hard pellets. Everyone is different – some go three times a day, and others go twice a week. But the aim is to produce soft, easily passed stool every time.

The color of your poop can tell you a lot about your body, from what it is experiencing (illness) to what you have ingested (from medications to food). You may experience a green tinge or green color to your poop and surprisingly, although alarming, this is a fairly common complaint.

Diarrhea and vomiting are something most of us have suffered with at some point in our lives. For many, it is a horrible week’s worth of symptoms, but eventually things begin to feel better. Here we will discuss some of the common questions patients ask their doctor about diarrhea and vomiting.

Diarrhea is common in children and babies and normally resolves on its own. In its mildest form it can be caused by eating something new or by teething in younger babies. It’s common for children to pick up viral infections from food or each other at nursery and school – these are usually short-lived, and they recover within a few days. In acute diarrhea, the main risk is dehydration. If it lasts longer than two weeks, it’s called chronic diarrhea and is worth discussing with your doctor, even if they appear well – toddler's diarrhea is one cause of chronic diarrhea. We will talk you through the different causes, when to worry, and when to seek medical help.

Diarrhea is defined as stool, or poop, that is loose or watery and you usually need to go to the toilet more often. It's very common and most cases improve by themselves within a day or two. There are many causes of diarrhea, ranging from infection, allergy, anxiety, medication side-effects or long-term conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis.

Flatulence is also known as wind, gas or farting. Flatulence is normal, it happens when gas builds up in the digestive system. People pass gas an average of 15 times a day. If farting happens excessively, continuously, or is associated with a bloated feeling or tummy discomfort, it can be a sign of a more serious condition, but this is much less common.

Blood in the stools (your ‘poop’), or rectal bleeding, is where blood is found coming from the anus. You may notice this mixed in with the stool or after you’ve opened your bowels, either on the toilet paper or in the toilet itself. It’s always important to seek medical attention, as this indicates that some part of the gut is bleeding, although most causes are completely harmless. Your stool may be different colors if there’s been bleeding into it. If it’s bright red, it usually means a bleed somewhere near the rectum whereas darker red stool indicates that there may be bleeding higher up in the gut, or in the lower small intestine. Black, tarry stools indicate bleeding from much higher up, from the stomach or upper small intestine.

Bloating is the feeling that happens when your tummy feels full, stretched and uncomfortable. Some describe it as feeling like there is a lot of gas or air in the tummy which may look bigger or swollen up as a result. Most of us have experienced bloating at some point in our lives, often as a reaction to something we’ve eaten or drunk. Bloating can also be a symptom associated with women's menstrual cycle, although it can occur in both adults and children of either gender. 

Heartburn is a very common complaint in pregnancy. It is also referred to as acid reflux, dyspepsia, or indigestion. It arises due to hormonal changes and is worse in later pregnancy when the pressure of the growing baby pushes against your stomach. If you've had it in previous pregnancies, or even without being pregnant, unfortunately, you're more likely to get it again.