Stool analysis is a diagnostic tool that is commonly used by medical personnel. The information obtained from this test helps diagnose various digestive ailments, from parasitic infections to colon cancer. Changes in stool can also be an early warning sign that you can observe at home so you know when it's time to visit the doctor. To identify abnormal stools, you first need to know what healthy stools look like.
Step
Method 1 of 4: View Shapes and Sizes
Step 1. Estimate the length of your stool
The optimal length of stool is approximately 30 centimeters. Very short stools, for example round like bullets, indicate constipation. Increase fiber intake in your diet and keep your body from becoming dehydrated.
Step 2. Estimate the width of your stool
If your stools start to shrink steadily, consult a doctor. Small stools indicate an obstruction in your large intestine. Your stool may be blocked by a foreign body or tumor.
Step 3. Pay attention to the consistency of your stool
Your stools should be soft, solid, and slightly soft.
- Stool that crumbles easily or tends to be watery indicates diarrhea. This can be due to various health problems including infectious diseases, inflammation, impaired absorption of nutrients, or even psychological stress.
- Stool that is lumpy, hard, and difficult to pass indicates constipation.
Method 2 of 4: Checking Colors
Step 1. Pay attention to the base color of your stool
The ideal stool color is medium brown, but in healthy people the color of the stool varies.
- Green or yellow stools usually occur because your digestion is moving too fast, such as mild diarrhea. Bile, which is the main pigment in stool, is initially green and slowly turns brown.
- Stool that is pale gray or yellow in color indicates liver disease.
Step 2. See if there is blood in your stool
Watch out if your stools are red or solid black.
- Fresh red indicates bleeding in the final digestive system, such as the large intestine or anus. This type of bleeding usually indicates a less serious health problem, such as minor inflammation or hemorrhoids. This is unlikely to be a sign of cancer. Talk to your doctor if this happens repeatedly or if you have pain during bowel movements.
- Bleeding in the upper digestive system, such as from the stomach or small intestine, results in stools that are completely dark red or black in color. The stool was also followed by a kind of thick sticky-like mucus. If your stool is like this, consult your doctor. This could be a sign of various types of serious problems ranging from stomach ulcers to colon cancer.
- Eating beets can also make your stools red. However, beet red is usually easy to distinguish from blood red. If the red is magenta (purple red) or fuchsia tinge (dark pink), it's almost certainly a beet or food color, not blood.
Step 3. Don't be surprised if you notice that your stool is an odd color unless your stool continues to be that color
Most of the occasional discoloration of your stool is usually due to the color of the food. Even if you don't remember eating a particular color of food, that color can be hidden or obscured by another color that changes easily. Food color is also influenced by other pigments in the digestive system, producing unexpected results.
Method 3 of 4: Other Things to Look For
Step 1. Pay attention to the frequency of your bowel movements
A good digestive system will make us defecate on a "regular" basis. However, "regular" is relative. Observe the frequency of your bowel movements, so you will notice changes that are early warning signs of your health problems.
Usually, a healthy bowel frequency ranges from once every three days to three times a day. The definition of diarrhea is if you go to the toilet more than three times a day. On the other hand, constipation occurs when bowel movements are more than three days apart
Step 2. Notice if your stool is floating
Healthy stool should slowly move to the bottom of the toilet. If your stools float quickly, it means that your food intake is very high in fiber.
Pancreatitis causes poor absorption of fat, resulting in fatty, floating stools. This stool is very oily, releasing insoluble droplets into the toilet bowl
Step 3. Observe for a very strong fecal odor
No stools that smell good. In fact, a pungent odor can be an indication of healthy stomach flora. However, certain health problems can cause stool to smell more pungent than usual. Among them are bloody stools, diarrhea due to infection, and syndrome of impaired absorption of nutrients.
Method 4 of 4: Recognizing Newborn Baby Stool
Step 1. Don't be surprised by meconium
A baby's first stool, called meconium, is usually passed within 24 hours after he or she is born. Meconium is dark green to black, profuse, and sticky. This first stool consists of damaged cells and waste that accumulates in the uterus. Your baby will transition to more normal stools in two to four days.
Step 2. Check stool consistency
Even if the baby's digestive system is already good, the baby will pass stools that are very different from the stools that are considered healthy in older children and adults. Because their diet is liquid, a healthy baby's stool isn't solid and has the consistency of peanut butter or pudding. Babies who are fed formula milk usually have denser and larger stools than babies who drink breast milk.
- Babies who have diarrhea, the stool is very liquid and can penetrate the diaper to the baby's back. Call your doctor if your baby less than 3 months old has diarrhea, has diarrhea for more than a day, or shows other signs, such as fever.
- Solid stool is a sign of constipation. Don't worry if you sometimes find pebble-like stools, but talk to your doctor if it happens often. Severe constipation can be accompanied by diarrhea if the loose stools can pass through a hard block.
Step 3. Observe the color
Baby stools are usually lighter in color and can be yellow, green, or light brown in color. Don't be surprised by the color change. As your baby's digestive system develops, changes to enzyme production and transit times will vary.
- Dark brown color is a sign of constipation.
- Stool that is black after the meconium comes out can mean bleeding. Small black spots like basil seeds in the stool are most likely caused by ingested blood from irritated nipples. If your baby is taking iron supplements, don't be surprised if his stools are black.
- A pale yellow or pale gray color can be a sign of liver problems or infection.
Step 4. Pay close attention to the frequency
A healthy newborn can defecate as much as 1 to 8 times per day, with an average of 4 times. Like adults, each baby has its own "rhythm". However, consult a doctor if your formula-fed baby has bowel movements less than once per day, or your breastfed baby has bowel movements less than once every 10 days.
Step 5. Pay attention to the smell
The smell of baby stool should not be too strong, almost sweet. It is natural that babies who are fed formula milk have a sharper smell of feces than babies who are breastfed. During the transition to solid foods, your baby's stool will smell like adult stool.
Tips
- If you are constipated, eat more fiber and try to drink more. Fiber foods will make more stools, causing us to defecate frequently. Consumption of fluids that meet the needs of the body will lubricate the digestive tract and improve its movement, making stools easier to pass.
- Many doctors agree that no stool is truly "normal" indicative of healthy stool. What is more important is to look at the "change" in the shape of the stool and its frequency.
- With the exception of blood in your stool, none of the changes here are indicative of a health problem unless they are long-term. You don't have to worry if one time your poop is unusual in color or smells really bad. If this happens frequently, consult a doctor.
