Bloating that will not go away: symptoms not to wait on

See a GP if you feel bloated regularly, or if bloating keeps coming back or lasts 3 weeks or longer. Bloating has many causes, but persistent bloating is one of the main symptoms of ovarian cancer and is also a symptom of bowel cancer, so it needs a GP to check it, not another change of diet.

As a nurse I would far rather you booked the appointment and it turned out to be nothing. If you are reading this because your bloating has gone on for weeks, put the food diary down and book the appointment.

How long is too long for bloating?

There is no safe number of weeks to sit it out if it is happening regularly. The NHS says to see a GP if you feel bloated regularly, or if you have tried changing your diet and keep feeling bloated.

Persistent does not mean there every minute. Ovarian Cancer Action describes it as bloating that keeps coming back or lasts a long time, 3 weeks or longer, and notes that bloating linked to ovarian cancer does not usually improve when you change what you eat. The NHS puts the frequency at roughly 12 or more times a month. If your bloating is there on more days than not, that is the pattern to take to a GP.

Which symptoms should I never wait on?

These are the NHS’s own words, from its pages on bloating and on bowel cancer. They point to 999, NHS 111 or your GP, and nowhere else.

One more, from Ovarian Cancer Action: severe bloating that makes your tummy visibly swollen, in some cases enough to be mistaken for a pregnancy bump, needs an immediate GP appointment.

What are the symptoms of ovarian cancer?

The NHS lists the main symptoms as these, happening frequently, roughly 12 or more times a month:

• “a swollen tummy or feeling bloated”
• “pain or tenderness in your tummy or the area between your hips (pelvic pain)”
• “no appetite or feeling full quickly after eating”
• “an urgent need to pee or needing to pee more often”

Other symptoms can include indigestion, constipation or diarrhoea, back pain, feeling tired all the time, losing weight without trying, and unusual bleeding from the vagina, including between periods, heavier periods or after the menopause.

See a GP if you have any of them. The NHS is honest that these symptoms are common and can be caused by many different conditions, and equally clear that they still need checking, because if it is cancer, finding it early can mean it is more treatable. If you have ovaries and bloating, asking about the blood test for ovarian cancer is reasonable. If you are 50 or over and have had symptoms that look like IBS within the last year, NICE asks GPs to test for ovarian cancer, because IBS rarely appears for the first time at that age.

What about bowel cancer?

Bloating is on the NHS list of bowel cancer symptoms, alongside changes in your poo that are not usual for you, needing to poo more or less often, blood in your poo or bleeding from your bottom, often feeling you need to poo even after you have been, tummy pain, a lump in your tummy, losing weight without trying, and “feeling very tired or short of breath”. The NHS says to see a GP if you have any of them, and not to be embarrassed: the doctor or nurse will be used to talking about these symptoms.

Persistent unexplained gut symptoms, bloating included, are also one of the reasons the NHS gives for testing for coeliac disease. Keep eating gluten until you have been tested.

What happens at the GP appointment?

You will be asked about your symptoms and your health, and whether anyone in your family has had ovarian, breast or bowel cancer. The GP or practice nurse may ask to examine your tummy and, depending on your symptoms, do an internal or rectal examination. You can ask for a female or male doctor or nurse, have someone with you, and ask them to stop at any time.

For possible ovarian cancer, the GP may arrange a blood test for a protein called CA125, and if the level is high, an ultrasound scan of your abdomen and pelvis. For possible bowel cancer, you may be asked for a poo sample or given a home test kit called FIT, which checks for bleeding from your bowel, and a blood test. If the GP thinks your symptoms could be cancer, you may get an urgent referral, usually within 2 weeks. That does not mean you definitely have cancer.

A written note of when it started, how often it happens and what comes with it makes the appointment work harder for you. I have set out what to bring in what to tell your GP about gut symptoms.

What if my symptoms carry on after I have been seen?

Go back. The NHS says to see a GP again if you have previously been seen but your symptoms have not gone away, are worse or more frequent, and NICE asks GPs to tell people to come back if their symptoms become more frequent or persistent.

There is also a newer safeguard in England. Since 23 September 2025, under Jess’s Rule, GPs are asked to think again if, after 3 appointments, they have not been able to offer a clear diagnosis, or your symptoms have got worse. It is named after Jessica Brady, who died of cancer aged 27 after more than 20 appointments at her GP practice. Keep a dated note of each appointment so the pattern is visible, and say plainly if this is your third visit for the same thing.

If you have been told it is IBS and you are not sure that fits, read when your GP says it’s IBS. If you are not sure whether to ring the surgery, 111 or a pharmacy, NHS 111, GP or pharmacy sets out who does what.

After you have been checked

Once a GP has looked and the serious causes are ruled out, the everyday reasons for bloating are worth working through properly, one at a time. The bloating quiz is a place to start. If anything on this page turns up while you are doing that, the quiz stops mattering: ring your GP or 111.