Stomach ache and abdominal pain

Talk to your pharmacist about:

• what's causing your stomach ache
• treatments that might help
• medicines to help relieve symptoms of constipation and indigestion

Call for emergency help or go to the hospital emergency department if:

• you're less than 16 weeks pregnant and have severe abdominal pain
• you have a stomach ache that came on very suddenly or is severe
• it hurts when you touch your stomach
• you're vomiting blood, or your vomit looks like ground coffee
• your poo is bloody, or black and sticky and extremely smelly
• you can't pee
• you can't poo or fart
• you can't breathe
• you have chest pain
• you have diabetes and you're vomiting
• someone has collapsed

• your stomach ache gets much worse quickly
• stomach pain or bloating will not go away or keeps coming back
• you have repeated bouts of stomach cramps and diarrhoea
• you have stomach pain and problems with swallowing food
• you're losing weight without trying to
• you suddenly pee more often or less often
• peeing is suddenly painful
• you bleed from your bottom or vagina, or have abnormal discharge from your vagina
• you have diarrhoea that does not go away after a few days

If your doctor's chamber is closed, phone the 16263 health line.

Stomach ache and abdominal pain can come from several different causes. Sometimes stomach ache is the only problem you have, and sometimes it comes with other symptoms, such as diarrhoea.

If you have stomach cramps along with diarrhoea, a tummy bug (gastroenteritis) may be the cause. These bugs usually clear up on their own within a few days, and you don't need treatment for them.

A sharp, sudden pain in one particular area of your tummy may point to a serious problem, and it could get worse without treatment.

Severe abdominal pain that comes on suddenly can be caused by:

• appendicitis, which is painful swelling of the appendix
• a bleeding or perforated stomach ulcer
• acute cholecystitis, which is inflammation of the gallbladder and may mean the gallbladder has to be removed
• kidney stones, which are small stones that develop in one or both of your kidneys
• diverticulitis, which is inflammation of the small pouches in the bowel
• ectopic pregnancy, when a fertilised egg develops outside the womb (this can be very serious if it isn't treated)
• acute pancreatitis, a serious condition where the pancreas becomes inflamed over a short period of time

If your doctor thinks you have one of these conditions, they'll ask you to go to hospital immediately.

A pulled muscle in your abdomen or an injury can also cause this kind of pain. If there's any possibility that you could be pregnant, you should take a pregnancy test.

Speak to a doctor if you or your child have persistent or repeated abdominal pain. The cause is often not serious, and it can be managed.

Possible causes in adults include:

• irritable bowel syndrome (IBS): the pain is often relieved when you go to the toilet
• inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), for example Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis and endometriosis
• a urinary tract infection (UTI) that keeps returning: you'll usually also have a burning sensation when you pee
• constipation
• period pain: painful muscle cramps in women that are linked to the menstrual cycle
• stomach ulcer
• heartburn and acid reflux
• gastritis (inflammation of the stomach lining)

Possible causes in children include:

• constipation
• a UTI that keeps returning
• heartburn
• acid reflux
• abdominal migraines: abdominal pain that keeps coming back and you don't know why