The short explanation
Please do not stop the aspirin on your own, but do get her seen urgently today. Aspirin and other blood thinners can sometimes cause bleeding from the stomach, which can make stools black and lead to tiredness and anaemia. But stopping aspirin without medical advice can raise the risk of a heart attack or stroke in someone who needs it. Doctors can check her haemoglobin, blood pressure and heart rate, look for signs of bleeding, and decide whether the aspirin should be paused and whether she needs an endoscopy. They will balance the risk of bleeding against her heart condition.
What depends on your situation
The parts of this that change from woman to woman. Uncertainty is stated, not hidden.
- If she is also on other blood thinners, painkillers for joints, or steroids, the risk of stomach bleeding is higher.
- Iron tablets can also make stools black, so tell the doctor if she takes iron.
- Take her full medicine list and any heart reports to the hospital.
What this answer cannot determine
The boundary of online education. These need a clinician who can see you.
- This cannot tell you whether she is bleeding or whether her aspirin should be stopped. Her doctor needs to examine her and decide.
Questions for your clinician
Take these with you. You can add any of them to an appointment card.
- Is she bleeding from the stomach?
- Should her aspirin be paused, and who should decide?
- Does she need an endoscopy?
- How can we protect her stomach if she must continue aspirin?
When to seek help
Clinician-approved guidance for this topic. When in doubt, being seen is never the wrong choice.
Emergency — call 112 now
- Call 112 or go to the emergency department now if she faints, becomes confused, vomits blood or vomit like coffee grounds, or has chest pain.
Get help the same day
- Even if she seems stable, she should be seen by a doctor the same day.
Sources
The evidence this explanation is built on.
- Anemia MedlinePlus (US National Library of Medicine)
- Iron deficiency anaemia NHS
- Hemoglobin test MedlinePlus (US National Library of Medicine)
Who wrote and reviewed this
Every AskHer answer names its author. A clinically reviewed answer also names the clinician who signed it off — if no clinician is named below, it has not been clinically reviewed.
- Author
- AskHer Editorial (AI-assisted draft) AskHer's editorial team — not an individual clinician Works in English, தமிழ், हिन्दी
- Clinical reviewer
- Nobody yet No clinician has signed this answer off, and no person on the editorial team has read it yet. That is what the “Written with AI assistance” label means. It is queued for an editor to read, and then for a clinician who works in this area. The sources it was drafted against are listed above.
- Review status
- Written with AI assistance — not yet reviewed by a person
- Last reviewed
- Not yet reviewed by a person
- Version
- 1
Correction history
Substantive changes are listed, not quietly edited away.
No corrections have been made since this answer was first published.
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