Blog Posts

Why You Might Need an Anal Pap Smear — Plus, How to Prepare

If you’re a bisexual or gay man, you may be among those at high risk for anal cancer. Just as women get a test called a Pap smear to detect early signs of cervical cancer, you could detect — and treat— anal cancer early with an anal Pap smear.

Apr 10th, 2025

How a Colonoscopy Can Save Your Life

You keep postponing your colonoscopy because — well, it sounds awful — plus, you don’t think you’re at risk. But no one has a zero risk. That “awful” colonoscopy just might just save your life. Here’s why and how a colonoscopy can lead to a cure.

Mar 17th, 2025

4 Signs You May Have Pilonidal Disease

Most men know that an ingrown hair on their face can be painful. But people of all genders may develop an entrapped hair on their buttocks area that develops into a painful, infected cyst known as pilonidal disease. Here are four signs you have it.

Feb 1st, 2025

Start the New Year Fresh with a Colonoscopy

If your New Year’s resolutions include living well and healthily, then the best way to start 2025 is with a colonoscopy. When you stay on top of your colon’s health, you increase your chance of a long and healthy life. Here’s why.

Jan 9th, 2025

​​5 Tips for Managing Your Crohn's Disease During the Holidays

You want to enjoy the holidays with your friends, family, and colleagues … without spending hours in the bathroom or in pain after (or during) a party. But when you have Crohn’s disease, the treats and drinks could trigger a flare. What do you do?

Dec 2nd, 2024

Is Surgery the Best Solution for Pilonidal Disease?

When sitting down is excruciating, you may pick up a mirror (or your phone) and head to the bathroom to find out why. You see a swollen, red area that’s tender to the touch. Your doctor says it’s pilonidal disease. Is surgery your best option?

Nov 8th, 2024

Living with Ulcerative Colitis: Management Tips and Lifestyle Changes

When you have a chronic disease such as ulcerative colitis (UC), every aspect of your life is affected. With UC, simple survival acts, such as eating and defecating, can be excruciating and debilitating. How do you manage UC so you can enjoy life?

Oct 14th, 2024

Here's How to Prep for Rectocele Repair

You’re excited and relieved to finally be ready for your rectocele repair. Soon, the days of feeling like your rectum is always full and having pain during sexual intercourse will be behind you. So, how do you prepare for your repair?

Sep 12th, 2024

Why Do I Struggle with Having Bowel Movements?

Bowel movements are natural and necessary. But as hard as you try, you just can’t go. Or, when you do go, the process is an ordeal. Why are your bowel movements a problem?

Aug 4th, 2024

What Causes a Rectal Prolapse?

You feel like you haven’t fully defecated, but nothing else is coming out. You reach under to “help” yourself evacuate and are horrified to find that it isn’t stool you touch: Your own rectum has dropped through your anus. How did that happen?

Jul 22nd, 2024

Understanding the Two Main Surgeries for Diverticulitis

When your diverticulosis progresses to diverticulitis, you may be able to control the pain and inflammation with lifestyle adjustments. But if your disease continues to progress, you may need one of two surgeries to get relief. Which one is best for you?

Jun 19th, 2024

What Are the Signs of Colon Cancer?

You’ve noticed changes in your bowels or you have abdominal pain. You don’t think you’re at risk for colon cancer, but neither do most people who are ultimately diagnosed with this potentially fatal disease. When should you contact a specialist?

May 16th, 2024

Pain When Using the Bathroom: When to Worry

If you’re in pain when you have a bowel movement, it’s time to pay attention. Passing stool should be a natural, automatic experience, free from straining, pushing, or pain. Why does it hurt to go to the bathroom? Here’s when you should find out.

Apr 1st, 2024

How Soon Do I Need a Colonoscopy If Colon Cancer Runs in My Family?

If you have a family member with colon cancer, you have an increased risk of developing the disease yourself. That means the standard recommendations for scheduling your first and next colonoscopy may not apply to you. So, when do you start?

Mar 17th, 2024

The Constipation Relief Diet

When you’re constipated, you want relief and prevention, too. Even after you’ve finally passed stool, you don’t want to go through another episode of feeling “stuck.” Simple changes to your diet may be enough to keep things flowing smoothly.

Feb 1st, 2024

Lower-Left Abdominal Pain: What Could it Mean?

You’ve heard all your life that lower right abdominal pain could be a sign of appendicitis or a ruptured appendix that requires emergency medical care. But what if you experience pain in the left lower quadrant instead? What does that mean?

Jan 10th, 2024

Is Pelvic Floor Dysfunction a Normal Part of Aging?

Our culture doesn’t have great expectations for aging. Once you hit a certain age, it’s all “downhill” from there. Does that mean you should expect your pelvic floor to fall, too? And worse, is some form of diapers inevitable?

Dec 5th, 2023

What Can Cause Fecal Incontinence?

When you develop fecal incontinence (FI), you feel like you’re living out an elementary school nightmare. Each social outing, each day at work, creates tension because you never know when you’re going to “go” …. against your will. Why do you have FI?

Nov 9th, 2023

The Link Between Chronic Constipation and Pelvic Floor Dysfunction

You drink water and get lots of fiber, but you still can’t go easily or completely. Why do you chronically feel constipated? Is it something you’re eating? Or not eating? Or something else entirely? It could be your pelvic floor.

Oct 10th, 2023

I'm Not at Risk for Colorectal Cancer — Do I Still Need to Be Screened?

Even if you think your risk for colorectal cancer is low, nobody’s risk is 0. Colorectal cancer can be deadly. But it also can be curable, when caught early. Regular colonoscopies, scheduled according to your risk factors, keep you safe.

Sep 1st, 2023

What to Expect Right After Your Colonoscopy

You know that you’re supposed to take off from work and other responsibilities the day of your colonoscopy, but why? What’s going to happen? Will you be zonked out? In pain? And how long do you have to wait for your results? 

Jul 31st, 2023

How to Protect Your Colon as You Age

The bad news is that colon cancer is common. The good news is it’s curable … when caught in time. Protect your colon now by adopting habits that keep it healthy as you age. And be sure to get regular colonoscopies to detect problems ASAP.

Jul 1st, 2023

The Difference Between Anal and Colon Cancer

Because both colon cancer and anal cancer involve the large intestine, you may think they’re the same disease. However, the location and types of cells involved influence how the disease manifests as well as how it’s treated.

Jun 1st, 2023

When to Worry About Fecal Incontinence

Comedians may joke about “sharts,” but when you accidentally pass stool along with gas, you probably don’t feel like laughing. Losing control of your bowels is called fecal incontinence. Should fecal incontinence ever be laughed off or ignored?

May 1st, 2023

3 Signs of Diverticulitis You Should Never Ignore

Diverticulitis is an inflammation of small pouches in your colon that can develop as you age. The pouches (i.e., diverticula) are benign. However, they may get infected and progress to diverticulitis, a potentially life-threatening condition.

Apr 3rd, 2023

When to Seek Professional Help for Constipation

Even with the best diet and exercise routine, you may occasionally suffer a bout of constipation, in which your stools are hard or infrequent. Most cases of constipation aren’t serious. But, sometimes, constipation requires medical care.

Mar 5th, 2023

What to Expect Before, During, and After Your First Colonoscopy

You’ve never had a colonoscopy before, and so you're just a little anxious about what to expect. Do you have to prepare for your procedure? What happens during the colonoscopy itself? Is there a recovery period? The answers are here.

Feb 7th, 2023

The Difference Between Crohn's Disease and Ulcerative Colitis

Both Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) are considered an inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Although each condition involves inflammation, pain, and symptoms that affect your gastrointestinal tract, they’re not the same disease.

Jan 18th, 2023

Can I Control My IBS with My Diet?

When you have IBS, you may regard every meal with suspicion: Will that delicious steak or home-baked bread with butter trigger an attack? Or maybe it’ll be the broccoli. With IBS, your gut is extra sensitive. Adjusting your diet can help.

Dec 5th, 2022

My Fecal Incontinence Is Embarrassing: Can You Help?

If you have fecal incontinence (FI), you may be afraid to enjoy your life in public. Losing control of your bowels — whether that involves a small amount of stool or mucus, or a large amount — is embarrassing and uncomfortable. You can get help.

Nov 1st, 2022

The Link Between Smoking and Diverticulitis

You know that smoking increases your risk for diseases you don't have yet, such as lung cancer. But why bother quitting just because something might happen? Well, if you’re in pain from diverticulitis, that’s a good reason to quit right now.

Oct 1st, 2022

Are Polyps a Health Threat?

You’re considering annual fecal tests rather than a once-a-decade colonoscopy to screen for colon cancer But your doctor removes abnormal growths — such as polyps — during a colonoscopy. A fecal test can’t do that. Is polyp removal important?

Sep 1st, 2022

Why Do I Have Anal Pain?

Pain in your anus could be more than a pain in the neck. Anal pain may be due to a benign condition or it may be the sign of something seriously wrong. Find out why you have anal pain and what you can do about it.

Aug 1st, 2022

Lifestyle Tips for Diverticulitis

If you've been diagnosed with diverticuitis, your intestines are full of little pouches called diverticula that can become inflamed or infected and cause intense pain and other disruptive symptoms. With care and planning, you can minimize flares.

Jul 1st, 2022

Understanding Your Risk for Pilonidal Disease

Pilonidal disease isn’t well known, but it’s not uncommon. In fact, if you have hair in your buttocks area or sit a lot for your job, you’re at risk for this painful cyst. Without treatment, pilonidal disease causes infections and can lead to cancer.

Jun 1st, 2022

Foods that Support a Healthy Colon

When your colon is healthy, you don’t give it a thought. But the moment something goes wrong with your colon, you wish you’d paid more attention. Keep your colon healthy and pain-free by adjusting what you eat.

May 1st, 2022

Using Biofeedback to Treat Pelvic Floor Dysfunction

If you’re chronically constipated or have fecal or urinary incontinence, you may have an underlying pelvic floor dysfunction that impairs your organs’ ability to eliminate regularly and painlessly. Strengthen your pelvic floor with biofeedback.

Apr 1st, 2022

What Happens If Polyps Aren't Removed?

When you have a colonoscopy, one of the things your doctor is looking for are polyps, which are abnormal growths in your colon. Most polyps are benign and never become cancerous. So, is it OK to leave them in place?

Mar 1st, 2022

What to Expect at Your Routine Colon Screening

If you’re at average risk for colon cancer, you only need to undergo a colonoscopy every 10 years. Whether it’s your first colonoscopy and you’re not sure what’s going to happen, or you’ve had one before but it was years ago, here’s what to expect.

Feb 1st, 2022

Tips to Improve Your Nutrition Before Colorectal Surgery

If you’re scheduled for colorectal surgery, you want to do all you can to get the best outcome with the fastest recovery. Providing your body with the best possible nutrition gives it the tools it needs to heal. Here’s how to do it.

Jan 1st, 2022

What Is Fecal Incontinence?

When you pass gas, do you pass more than gas? If you leak feces — no matter how much or how little — at unexpected, inopportune times, you have fecal incontinence. Here’s what to do about it.

Dec 1st, 2021

4 Signs that You May Have Diverticulitis

As if wrinkles and thinning hair weren’t bad enough, another sign of aging takes place inside your gut. You may develop small pouches — called diverticula — in weak areas of your colon. If these pouches get infected, you have diverticulitis.

Nov 1st, 2021

The Differences Between Crohn’s Disease and Ulcerative Colitis

About three million people in the United States have either ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s disease — a jump of a million sufferers in 2016. If you have UC or CD, here’s what you need to know about your disease, and how the two differ.

Oct 3rd, 2021

What's Causing Your Anal Pain?

Having a pain in your anus is really a pain in your … you know. It hurts when you defecate. It hurts when you sit. You don’t want to even try sex play in that area. Plus, you’re worried — is anal pain a serious sign of disease?

Sep 1st, 2021

How to Prepare for Your Colonoscopy

You take your health and longevity seriously. That’s why you booked a colonoscopy to either confirm that your colon is cancer-free or to remove any cancerous lesions at an early stage. Congratulations! Now, here’s what you need to do to prepare.

Aug 4th, 2021

Who's at Risk for Colon Cancer?

Colon cancer is one of the most common — and curable — of all cancers. If you catch it soon enough. Colon cancer affects all ages, but is on the rise among younger people. Are you at risk?

Jul 11th, 2021

The Link Between STDs and Abscesses

Defecation is painful. Or your rectum feels swollen and tender all the time. If you suffer from the uncomfortable symptoms of an anorectal abscess, your condition may have started with a sexually transmitted disease (STD). Here’s what to do.

Jun 23rd, 2021

What Causes Pelvic Floor Prolapse?

You can’t hold your urine. Or maybe your feces. You have pain in your pelvic area, but don’t know why. You may have pelvic organ prolapse, which occurs when your pelvic floor muscles weaken. Here’s why it happens.

May 13th, 2021

Is Ulcerative Colitis Curable?

If you’ve been diagnosed with ulcerative colitis (UC), you wonder if — and hope that — there’s a cure. Even though no cure exists right now for UC, research is promising. Here’s what to do in the meantime.

Apr 5th, 2021

Object Stuck in Your Rectum? Why Prompt Medical Care Matters

You and your partner or friends got a little “playful.” Or maybe you — or your child — was fooling around, experimenting. No matter how it happens, getting an object stuck up your rectum is no fun. Removing it yourself could cause a crisis.

Mar 7th, 2021

Early Warning Signs of Rectal Cancer

You may not like to think about your rectum. But colorectal cancer is the third leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States, not counting skin cancers. Learn the signs and symptoms of rectal cancer to increase your chances of survival.

Feb 9th, 2021

When to Consider Hemorrhoid Surgery

You’ve tried creams. You’ve tried sitz baths. You’ve changed your diet and your bathroom habits. But you’re still plagued by hemorrhoids. Isn’t there something that can eliminate hemorrhoids for good? Surgery can.

Jan 6th, 2021

How Often Do I Need a Colonoscopy?

I can’t wait until my next colonoscopy, said nobody ever. But getting your colonoscopy result is a big relief: Either you know you’re in the clear, or you get the treatment you need ASAP. But how often do you need a colonoscopy?

Dec 1st, 2020

What Causes Rectal Prolapse?

Rectal prolapse may be embarrassing, and it can be painful, but it’s almost never an emergency. Still, you need to fix it, even as you wonder how it could happen to you. Following are a few reasons why your rectum may protrude through your anus.

Nov 4th, 2020

Effective Treatments for Anal Trauma

Your anus hurts when you defecate. Or you see blood on your toilet paper. Or you have an object stuck in your anal canal. Whatever the reason, if you have anal trauma, you must see a doctor as soon as possible to get effective — and safe — treatment.

Oct 6th, 2020

Signs of an Abscess and what Having One Means

If you have anal or rectal pain or bleeding, or if you feel a lump near your anus, it may not be hemorrhoids. You could have a pus-filled anal or perianal abscess. An abscess almost never goes away on its own, and can cause serious complications.

Sep 15th, 2020

Dietary Guidelines for Ulcerative Colitis

When you have ulcerative colitis (UC), every meal is a challenge. Will breakfast cause pain? Will lunch become diarrhea? Discovering which foods trigger your UC attacks — and which don’t — makes meals a pleasure again.

Aug 18th, 2020

Common Causes of Anal Pain

Your anus hurts. You’re embarrassed to talk about it, and a little afraid. But most anal pain is caused by benign conditions, and should resolve within a day or two. If anal pain persists, see a specialist for diagnosis and treatment.

Jul 20th, 2020

How to Lower Your Risk for Hemorrhoid Flare-Ups

If you’re one out of three adults in the United States who suffer from hemorrhoids, you’re not looking forward to another painful flare-up. A few simple changes to your routine, though, can help keep your bathroom routine pain-free and efficient.

Jun 18th, 2020

Signs of Anal Cancer

Cancer is a frightening concept for anyone, but not knowing what to look for can make it more frightening. Here’s what you need to understand about anal cancer, and how to look for it in yourself.

May 26th, 2020

Understanding the Differences between Internal & External Hemorrhoids and the Best Treatment Options

Depending on what type of hemorrhoids you're experiencing, your treatment might change. So what’s the difference between internal and external hemorrhoids, and how does that difference affect treatment?

Apr 21st, 2020

Should I Be Concerned about Anal Pain?

Pain in the anus can be embarrassing to bring up with your doctor. However, pain can be a symptom of a larger problem, so it’s best to talk to your doctor sooner, rather than later.

Mar 13th, 2020

When You Should Seek Medical Attention for Your Constipation

Is your case of constipation not resolving itself? It's important to know when constipation stops being just an annoying problem and when to seek medical attention.

Feb 10th, 2020

What to Expect During and After Your First Colonoscopy

Wondering what to expect when you’re preparing for your first colonoscopy? This handy guide to the colonoscopy process helps you to be as ready as possible, so you know what is happening every step of the way.

Jan 13th, 2020