Many people think that if you bleed when you have a bowel movement, you have hemorrhoids. This is actually a misconception. Because blood in the stool is not just a symptom unique to hemorrhoids. Blood in the stool indicates bleeding in the digestive tract, and the closer the bleeding is to the anus, the brighter the color of the blood. Low-level bleeding from the GI tract, especially from the colon and lower rectum, is bright red and closely related to bowel movements. Among them, bleeding from hemorrhoids is typically characterized by the discharge of blood from the anus during forceful defecation, in varying amounts, or with blood on the hand paper after defecation, or dripping blood, or in the form of jets. Blood in the stool caused by anal fissures is usually in small amounts and accompanied by severe pain. Bleeding from rectal polyps is most often seen in children with blood contamination around the anus during defecation. If there is blood in the stool mixed with mucus and purulent secretions, accompanied by changes in the shape of the stool, there should be a high alert for the possibility of rectal and lower colon tumors. If there is blood in the stool with mucus, urgency, increased frequency of stool, and pain in the left lower abdomen, dysentery and chronic enteritis should be considered first. As you can see, blood in the stool can be seen in a variety of diseases and is not unique to hemorrhoids. In addition, hemorrhoids are not the only symptom of blood in the stool. Generally speaking, in addition to blood in the stool, hemorrhoids may also present with symptoms such as prolapsed intra-anal masses, anal itching, mucus flow, and painful swelling next to the anus after a bowel movement. These symptoms can exist alone or several symptoms can coexist for a specific patient. Therefore, one should not assume that bleeding stools means that one has hemorrhoids. You should consider the whole picture and go to an anorectal specialist as soon as possible to prevent misdiagnosis and mistreatment.