Your belly button might be bothering you due to minor issues like poor hygiene, indigestion, gas, or constipation, but it can also signal more serious problems like an infection, hernia, or inflamed intestines. Common culprits are simple skin irritation (especially with piercings) or trapped gunk, while persistent pain with fever, swelling, or discharge warrants a doctor visit, as it could be a hernia or an internal issue.
There are many reasons a person can experience belly button pain. Some causes can be minor, including indigestion, constipation, and pregnancy. Others may be more serious, such as gallstones, appendicitis, or pancreatitis. Belly button pain can range in severity from mild to sharp.
Conditions such as indigestion, bloating, or constipation can cause discomfort around the navel area. When food does not move through the digestive tract properly, it can lead to gas and pressure in the stomach, which may trigger sharp pains around the belly button.
Overview of Belly Button Problems
If you've noticed discharge, a strong smell, pain, or another change in your belly button, you may need to see a doctor. If your belly button leaks discharge or blood, you may have a bacterial, fungal, or yeast infection.
Five key warning signs of a hernia include a visible bulge or lump, pain/discomfort that worsens with activity, a dragging sensation, digestive issues like nausea/constipation, and signs of strangulation like a discolored bulge, fever, or severe pain, which require emergency care.
If the pain is sudden, severe or does not ease within 30 minutes, seek emergency medical care. Sudden abdominal pain is often an indicator of serious intra-abdominal disease, such as a perforated ulcer or a ruptured abdominal aneurysm, although it could also result from a benign disease, such as gallstones.
The belly button has several layers, including skin, fibrous tissue, and umbilical vessels. These layers can trap dirt and bacteria.
The three main red flags for abdominal pain needing urgent care are severe, unrelenting pain (especially with fever/rigidity), vomiting blood or black material, and blood in the stool (bright red or tarry black), all signaling potential serious issues like appendicitis, obstruction, or bleeding that require immediate medical evaluation. Other major flags include inability to pass gas/stool, jaundice, significant weight loss, or pain radiating to the back.
Signs and symptoms of an infection
Call your doctor if you suspect a yeast infection in your belly button. They may suggest treating it with an over-the-counter, anti-fungal cream. They may also advise you to keep the area clean and dry. If that doesn't work, they may prescribe a stronger anti-fungal treatment.
If you are having severe pain in your belly button, redness, or signs of a bowel obstruction such as inability to have a bowel movement associated with nausea or vomiting, you may need surgical evaluation immediately, as the contents of the hernia may be stuck.
Belly button: Pain around the belly button without any of the above red flag symptoms is common and can usually be handled at home. This pain is often caused by anxiety, stress, indigestion or heartburn.
The main symptom of acute pancreatitis is a severe, dull pain around the top of your stomach that develops suddenly. This aching pain often gets steadily worse and can travel along your back or below your left shoulder blade. Eating or drinking may also make you feel worse very quickly, especially fatty foods.
Outie belly buttons (or convex navels) look like little knots. As they're easily accessible and are naturally exposed to open air, they're easier to clean: Using mild soap and your hands or a washcloth, gently lather your belly button with soapy water. Rinse off the soap and dry your belly button when done.
The intestines are the internal organs that lie directly behind the navel. The abdominal organs have a protective fat layer called the omentum draped over them. The abdominal cavity is covered by peritoneum, with the muscles, fascia, fat, and subcutaneous tissue forming the other layers beneath the skin.
Your belly button can collect lint, or fibers, from clothing and towels that rub against your skin. Bacteria can also grow in your navel. It's fine to gently remove belly-button fuzz with your finger and clean it with a cotton swab dipped in rubbing alcohol, but in general, it's best to leave your navel alone.
Many people experience this discomfort, which can range from mild to sharp and might be caused by anything from simple indigestion to more serious conditions. Belly button pain can be due to various issues including constipation, pregnancy, infections, hernias, or digestive problems like appendicitis and pancreatitis.
Belly button pain can come from minor, treatable issues like constipation or indigestion. UTIs and hernias are more serious causes of belly button pain. If pain is severe or has other symptoms like fever, see a healthcare provider.
Early signs of appendicitis often begin with pain near the belly button that shifts to the lower right abdomen, accompanied by loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, and a mild fever, but symptoms vary, so immediate medical attention for severe abdominal pain is crucial.
You should not ignore sudden, severe, or worsening stomach pain, especially if accompanied by fever, persistent vomiting (especially blood), bloody/black stools, inability to pass gas or stool, shortness of breath, dizziness, chest/neck/shoulder pain, or if you're pregnant and experiencing pain/bleeding, as these can signal serious issues like appendicitis, bowel obstruction, ectopic pregnancy, or aneurysms, requiring immediate emergency care. Don't ignore pain that lasts over a few days, doesn't improve, or is accompanied by jaundice or significant swelling.
How do I check myself for a hernia?
If hernia is left untreated, the size of protruding intestine might get bigger and become strangulated leading to the reduction of blood flow to surrounding tissue.
The "6-2 rule" for inguinal hernias in children is a guideline for surgical timing: Neonates (birth-6 weeks) need surgery within 2 days; children 6 weeks to 6 months need it within 2 weeks; and children over 6 months need it within 2 months, because younger infants have a higher risk of incarceration (strangulation). For adults or older children with reducible hernias, some sources suggest seeing a surgeon if symptoms last over six weeks.