6 Unexpected Symptoms Women Shouldn't Ignore

Best-case scenario: If it's a one-time thing, you probably just caught a temporary stomach bug.

Why it could be more serious: "Nocturnal diarrhea always makes me prick up my ears," says Rebekah Gross, MD, gastroenterologist at the Joan H. Tisch Center for Women's Health at NYU Langone Medical Center. At night, your intestines should be calm, because you're relaxed, asleep and not in the midst of eating something that could provoke problems. "Even IBS shouldn't wake you up like that," Gross says. If you're regularly getting up and beelining to the bathroom, more serious problems to consider include infection, inflammatory bowel disease, ulcerative colitis or a neurological issue with your bowels. A gastroenterologist can help you nail down the culprit.