A rectal prolapse is when rectal tissue bulges out from the anal opening. The rectal prolapse either got better on its own or your child's health care provider gently pushed it back in with a gloved finger.

Rectal prolapse can have different causes. In babies and kids, it's most often due to constipation (infrequent, hard poops) or diarrhea. When the cause isn't clear, health care providers might do tests or recommend that a child see a medical specialist.

The rectal prolapse may happen again. Follow these instructions to care for your child and manage a rectal prolapse if it happens again.

Depending on the cause of the rectal prolapse, your health care provider might recommend:

• Treatment for constipation
• Avoiding holding in poop or straining while pooping, and only sitting on the toilet for a few minutes at a time
• Diet changes
• Medical tests or a follow-up with a specialist (such as a gastroenterologist)

Follow your health care provider's advice for:

• Caring for any dressings or tape that were put on to hold the rectal prolapse in
• Whether you should try to push in the rectal prolapse if it happens again and how to do it
• When to follow up

Your child has:

• Another rectal prolapse that doesn't go back into the body on its own or that you can't push back as your health care provider instructed
• Continued constipation or diarrhea

Your child:

• Has a rectal prolapse that is very painful or that bleeds a lot
• Has severe belly pain
• Seems very ill

What's the difference between a rectal prolapse and hemorrhoids? They can look the same, but in a rectal prolapse, it's the lining of the rectum that comes out of the anal opening. Hemorrhoids are swollen veins in the rectum or anus that come out of the anal opening.