Bowel polyps

Bowel polyps do not usually cause symptoms, but can cause mucus or blood in your poo, weight loss, diarrhoea or constipation.

There's a small risk of polyps turning into bowel cancer. Bowel cancer screening helps find polyps so they can be removed before becoming cancerous.

Bowel polyps can be diagnosed using a colonoscopy, but most are found when looking at the bowel for another reason or during bowel cancer screening.

Bowel polyps are usually treated by removing them using a wire loop (polypectomy). Rarely surgery may be needed.

It's not clear what causes bowel polyps, but they may be more likely if you're over 50, smoke, have a bowel condition, or a family member has them.

Bowel polyps are small growths on the inner lining of the bowel. See a doctor if you have symptoms for more than 3 weeks.