Diarrhea is when your body produces watery bowel movements instead of normal, solid ones. It happens when something irritates your digestive system, causing food and water to move through your intestines too quickly. Your intestines don't have enough time to absorb the water, so everything comes out liquid.

Most often, diarrhea comes from eating something that disagreed with you or catching a stomach virus. While uncomfortable and inconvenient, diarrhea usually goes away on its own within a day or two.

The main concern with diarrhea is dehydration, since your body loses a lot of water. Drinking plenty of fluids helps prevent this problem. If someone has diarrhea for several days, seems very weak, has severe stomach pain, or shows signs of dehydration, they should see a doctor.

Though it's an awkward topic, diarrhea is extremely common. Almost everyone experiences it at some point.