Do these symptoms warrant a doctor visit?

[teenytinyteddybear]

Hello all, I am a 23 year old female who has been having odd symptoms that I am starting to think are linked.
Over the past couple months my (tmi warning) bowel moments have been changing, becoming more loose and occurring almost every day. I have also had the occasional bloody stool. This occurred once again today and was so severe I actually thought my period had started, but this was not the case, because it’s not that time and the stool itself had streaks of blood. I do not smoke (but did grow up in a smoker’s household until the age of 17) and only drink alcohol very rarely. I am also of a normal weight. I have no known medical problems.
I just don’t want to bother a local doctor with paranoid questions, so I thought I’d try out asking online. Does anyone know if these symptoms could be related to something mundane? Or should I schedule an appointment?
Thank you all.

[Sara_MHModerator]

Hi there and welcome to the forum! Thank you for your question. This has been ongoing and not a one time or couple of day situation so yes, absolutely.  See your doctor.   Things with our gi tract can be confusing.  I'd start a little journal of what you eat and try to see if there are any patterns.  Also, what your stress level is and what is going on in your life to see if there is any correlation.  It is not a paranoid question to wonder about a bowel change that persists and has blood in it.  There can be medical causes for this that you will want to uncover.  A first question is if you took any antibiotics prior to this?  Sometimes when we take antibiotics, they can wipe out our gut good flora/bacteria and we have to replenish it.  If not, then it could be the opposite, too much bad bacteria that needs an antibiotic to eliminate it.  (gastroenteritis, for example). It could be something like ulcerative colitis.  It could be something like irritable bowel syndrome (which can be constipation, diarrhea or a combination of both).  Lots of possibilities so important to see your doctor for discussion.  Let us know if it is possible to see a doctor soon.