Many abdominal masses cause no symptoms and are found during an exam or scan, and when symptoms do occur the usual ones are a lump or firm area you can feel, swelling or bloating, and pressure or pain in one part of your belly.
What you notice depends on where the mass sits and what it is. A mass pressing on the stomach or intestine can bring early fullness after small meals, nausea, constipation, or a change in stool shape, while one near the bladder can cause frequent or difficult urination. Masses in the upper right belly may come with yellowing of the skin or eyes, and any mass can be linked with unexplained weight loss or night sweats. Keep a short log of when you first felt the lump, whether it has grown, and what makes the discomfort better or worse, since that history guides testing. A lump you can feel in your abdomen always needs a clinician to examine it, because imaging and an exam are the only ways to tell a hernia, cyst, enlarged organ, or tumor apart.
What a belly mass can feel like
Common questions
What are the symptoms of Abdominal mass?
Many abdominal masses are found by chance during an exam or scan because they cause no symptoms. When symptoms do appear, the most common are a lump or firm area you can feel, swelling or bloating, and steady pressure or pain in one region of the belly. Depending on the cause, you may also notice early fullness after small meals, nausea, constipation or a change in stool, urinary changes, yellowing of the skin or eyes, or unexplained weight loss. Severe pain, fever, repeated vomiting, a lump that is growing fast, or a pulsing lump near your navel needs same-day care. Any new abdominal lump should be examined by a clinician.