A stomachache is pain or discomfort in your belly, the area between your chest and your legs. When your stomach hurts, you might feel a dull ache, sharp cramping, or a queasy sensation that makes you want to curl up or hold your middle.

Stomachaches have many causes. You might get one from eating too much candy at a birthday party, from nervousness before a big presentation, or from an illness like the stomach flu. Sometimes a stomachache means you're hungry, and other times it means you ate something that disagreed with you. Anxiety can cause stomachaches too: have you ever felt butterflies or a tight knot in your stomach before a test?

Most stomachaches go away on their own after a little rest or time. But a severe stomachache that lasts a long time, or one that comes with fever or vomiting, might need a doctor's attention. Parents and doctors take complaints of severe or persistent stomach pain seriously because occasionally a stomachache signals something more serious than just eating too fast or feeling nervous about the school play.