Painful anus when passing stools

From constipation to diarrhea, sometimes pooping can be painful. So what gives? We talked with gastroenterologists about why it sometimes hurts to poop—and what you can do about it.

Not Drinking Enough Water

Bowel movements are made up of waste products that are being excreted from your body.

Lower abdominal pain before bowel movement

And the waste comes from both food and water.

"The body requires a certain amount of water to be absorbed before it eliminates excess in the stool. So if you do not drink enough water—or you need more water because of water loss for other reasons like sweating while you have a fever—bowel movements can become very hard and brittle," Carolyn Newberry, MD, a gastroenterologist at NewYork-Presbyterian and Weill Cornell Medical Center, told Health.

"This lack of water leads to difficulty with stool passage and common symptoms of constipation, including straining, cramping, abdominal pain, and bloating," Dr. Newberry said.

What You Can Do About It

Drinking enough water or eating foods with high water content, like cucumbers, can help you stay h

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