Why Does My Belly Button Hurt?
Some causes of belly button pain are harmless, while others signal a more serious condition. Here are 10 possible causes of belly button pain.
Published on January 31, 2025
Belly button pain can range from a dull ache to severe agony. Although it’s often harmless, belly button pain that doesn’t improve or worsens might indicate something more serious.
Here’s a look at 10 potential causes of belly button pain and treatment options.
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Potential Causes of Belly Button Pain
Understanding possible causes of belly button pain can help you decide when to see a doctor.
Note that “belly button” isn’t a medical term. This area is known as the umbilicus, and it’s the spot where the umbilical cord (a tube that provides nutrients and oxygen to a fetus during pregnancy) was attached. So you may hear your doctor refer to your belly button as the “umbilicus” and pain around the belly button as “periumbilical.”
1. Digestive Issues
Belly button pain is sometimes caused by digestive issues and may include other symptoms like heartburn, gas, and bloating. Bloating and gas can create pressure, leading to a feeling of fullness. Eating something that didn’t agree with you might cause indigestion, which sometimes can be felt as discomfort in the abdomen.
These symptoms can be part of a condition known as chronic indigestion (functional dyspepsia), which can also cause cramp-like pain that comes and goes, especially after meals or when you’re constipated.
Treatment might involve lifestyle changes, such as eating smaller meals to prevent bloating, as well as eating more high-fiber foods to help soften stools, which makes them easier to pass. Over-the-counter (OTC) medications like antacids or gas relievers can help, too.
See your healthcare provider if your symptoms worsen or don’t improve after two weeks of home treatment.
2. Infections
Some infections can cause pain around the belly button.
Urinary tract infections (UTIs), for example, can cause pain due to the infection irritating the bladder. This can happen when bacteria, usually E. coli, get into the urinary system, causing an infection in the bladder, urethra, or kidneys. Other UTI symptoms include frequent urination, a burning feeling when you urinate, or cloudy, foul-smelling urine.
Call your healthcare provider if you experience symptoms of a UTI. They will likely prescribe antibiotics to get rid of the infection. However, call your doctor if your symptoms worsen with treatment — they may prescribe a different medication. Seek emergency care if you develop fever, back pain, or vomiting.
Skin infections — such as yeast or bacterial infections — can also develop in the belly button due to its moist, damp environment. The folds of skin in this area often trap sweat, oils, and moisture, making it easier for bacteria and fungi to grow. These infections can cause swelling, pain, and sometimes a foul odor or discharge.
Call your healthcare provider if you notice symptoms of a belly button skin infection. Treatment involves the use of antifungal or antibiotic creams along with keeping the area clean and dry to prevent future infections.
3. Hernia
An umbilical hernia occurs when abdominal tissue (which includes muscles, fat, and connective tissue) bulges through an opening in the abdominal muscles around the belly button, causing pain or pressure, says David D. Clarke, MD, a board-certified internal medicine and gastroenterology physician in Portland, Oregon, and the president of the Association for Treatment of Neuroplastic Symptoms, a nonprofit that addresses the chronic pain epidemic.
This often happens due to increased pressure from pregnancy, obesity, or frequent heavy lifting, which strains the area around the belly button.
The pain associated with a hernia is usually sharp and sudden, and you may have swelling around the belly button. See a doctor if you notice a bulge that’s getting bigger, experience nausea, vomiting, constipation, or bloody stool, or if the bulge feels firm, darkens, or changes color.
An umbilical hernia that causes symptoms often requires surgery to repair the weak spot in the abdominal wall, particularly if the hernia becomes strangulated, which occurs when blood flow is cut off to the bulging tissue.
4. Surgical Complications
Belly button pain can be a side effect of abdominal surgery, such as a laparoscopic surgery or C-section (cesarean section).
Laparoscopic surgery involves making small incisions in the abdomen to insert tools and perform procedures, which can cause temporary discomfort near the navel. This pain resolves on its own as your body heals, usually within a few weeks.
Similarly, after a C-section, you may have some temporary pulling near the belly button as your incision heals.
Keep in mind that belly button pain may worsen if an incision doesn’t heal properly. So it’s important to follow your doctor’s postsurgery instructions for a smooth recovery. These may include temporarily not wearing tight clothing around the navel area as well as avoiding strength training, heavy lifting, and scratching the wound.
On average, you might need to limit these activities for at least four weeks to prevent wound reopening and possible infection.
Call your healthcare provider if you experience fever, chills, redness or swelling around your incisions, abnormal discharge or bleeding, vomiting, or trouble urinating, as these are signs of infection.
5. Pregnancy-Related Pain
Pregnancy can also cause pain around the belly button. An expanding uterus can put pressure on surrounding tissue and lead to discomfort in the navel area. This creates a stretching or pulling sensation, especially during the second trimester.
The pain is generally harmless and goes away by the third trimester. However, you should see your doctor if you don’t find relief from resting or changing positions, if you experience vaginal bleeding or contractions, or if the pain becomes severe.
6. Appendicitis
Appendicitis is a serious condition that occurs when the appendix (a small organ attached to the large intestine) becomes inflamed and infected. This often happens when excess stool (and, sometimes, a tumor) blocks the opening inside the appendix. The blockage traps bacteria, resulting in swelling and pain.
The infection can initially cause pain around the belly button before it moves to the lower right side of the abdomen, explains Dr. Clarke. Appendicitis is also usually accompanied by nausea, vomiting, and a loss of appetite.
Seek immediate medical care if you suspect appendicitis because an untreated appendix can burst and cause a life-threatening infection (sepsis). Appendicitis is often treated with surgery to remove the appendix.
7. Pancreatitis
Pancreatitis is painful inflammation of the pancreas, an organ in the abdomen. It can have several causes, but the most common include a blockage in the bile duct caused by gallstones (hardened deposits of bile in the gallbladder) and alcohol use.
Pancreatitis can be acute or chronic. Acute pancreatitis lasts for a short time, causing pain in the upper belly that may radiate to the back, fever, upset stomach, vomiting, and rapid pulse. Chronic pancreatitis, on the other hand, is inflammation that comes and goes over time and causes pain in the upper belly that may feel worse after eating.
Visit urgent care if belly pain appears suddenly or doesn’t improve. Treatment typically involves a hospital stay to allow the pancreas time to rest and heal. You may be given pain medicine, antibiotics, intravenous (IV) fluids, and a tailored diet.
8. Crohn’s Disease or Other Inflammatory Bowel Diseases
Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) is a group of chronic conditions that cause inflammation in the digestive tract. The two main types are Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, which can lead to symptoms like abdominal pain, diarrhea, and fatigue, particularly during flare-ups (when symptoms appear suddenly), notes Clarke.
IBD treatment plans usually include prescription medications to reduce inflammation as well as minimizing other triggers for flare-ups.
9. Endometriosis
Endometriosis is a chronic condition that may affect more than 11 percent of U.S. women between the ages of 15 and 44. It occurs when tissue lining the uterus grows outside of it, which can cause sharp, cramp-like pain around the belly button. The pain often worsens during menstruation.
See your healthcare provider if you have endometriosis symptoms, such as pelvic pain and long menstrual periods. Treatment often involves pain management with OTC or prescription medications, hormonal birth control or another type of hormone therapy to slow the growth of endometrial tissue, and, in some cases, surgery to remove abnormal tissue.
10. Diverticulitis
Sharp pain in the lower left area of the abdomen is a common symptom of diverticulitis, a condition that develops when small pouches form in the wall of the large intestine and become inflamed.
Many people develop these small pouches (known as diverticula) as they age, though most don’t have issues. But sometimes the diverticula can get infected and tear, causing abdominal pain that’s usually moderate to severe. The pain may appear suddenly or build up over a few days. The pain may also be accompanied by other symptoms, including fever, nausea and vomiting, constipation, and even rectal bleeding.
Visit urgent care if you have symptoms of diverticulitis. If your symptoms are mild, your healthcare provider may recommend antibiotics and a liquid diet until symptoms improve. More severe symptoms may require a hospital stay.
When Should You See a Doctor About Belly Button Pain?
Home treatment is usually the first line of defense for digestive issues like bloating, gas, or constipation. "When the pain is mild, self-resolving, and the patient is young, they can usually monitor the situation to see if it improves,” says Qin Rao, MD, a gastroenterologist at Manhattan Gastroenterology in New York.
But severe pain, pain that worsens, or pain accompanied by symptoms like fever, chills, nausea, vomiting, weight loss, or blood in the stool should be assessed immediately because these symptoms may signal a more serious condition like appendicitis or a strangulated hernia, Dr. Rao says.
The Takeaway
- Belly button pain is often harmless and caused by common issues like indigestion or bloating.
- However, belly button pain can also be a symptom of more severe conditions, such as appendicitis.
- Don’t ignore pain that persists, worsens, or is accompanied by symptoms such as fever, chills, nausea, vomiting, weight loss, or blood in the stool. Seek medical attention if you experience these symptoms.
Meet Our Experts
Yuying Luo, MD
Medical Reviewer
Yuying Luo, MD, is an assistant professor of medicine at Mount Sinai West and Morningside in New York City. She aims to deliver evidence-based, patient-centered, and holistic care for her patients.
Her clinical and research focus includes patients with disorders of gut-brain interaction such as irritable bowel syndrome and functional dyspepsia; patients with lower gastrointestinal motility (constipation) disorders and defecatory and anorectal disorders (such as dyssynergic defecation); and women’s gastrointestinal health.
She graduated from Harvard with a bachelor's degree in molecular and cellular biology and received her MD from the NYU Grossman School of Medicine. She completed her residency in internal medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, where she was also chief resident. She completed her gastroenterology fellowship at Mount Sinai Hospital and was also chief fellow.
Valencia Higuera
Author
Valencia Higuera is a writer and digital creator from Chesapeake, Virginia. As a personal finance and health junkie, she enjoys all things related to budgeting, saving money, fitness, and healthy living. In addition to Everyday Health, Higuera has written for various publications, including Healthline, GOBankingRates, MyBankTracker, and The Mortgage Reports.
EDITORIAL SOURCES
Everyday Health follows strict sourcing guidelines to ensure the accuracy of its content, outlined in our editorial policy. We use only trustworthy sources, including peer-reviewed studies, board-certified medical experts, patients with lived experience, and information from top institutions.
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