Take a Stool Sample

At some point in your life, your doctor may request that you provide a stool sample. The procedure can be used to diagnose a variety of serious gastrointestinal diseases, including parasites, viruses, bacteria, and even cancer.[1] While unpleasant, the test will ensure you are at your optimal health.

Steps

Preparing to Take the Sample

  1. Avoid medicine that will affect the sample. Your stool sample needs to be solid, so you should avoid taking certain medicines before collecting it. This includes anything that might soften your stools, such as Pepto Bismol, Maalox, mineral oil, antacids and Kaopectate. Also, if you have had a Barium Swallow, a metallic compound used to see abnormalities in the esophagus and stomach during an x-ray, you should postpone taking the stool sample.[2]
  2. Consult with your doctor. He or she will provide you with the necessary equipment for collecting your stool sample, including a container for storing the sample. Ask about the procedure and if you can receive a “hat.” Follow your doctor's instructions and read any directions that come with your equipment carefully.
    • Keep in mind that toilet water, urine, paper, and soap can all ruin the stool sample, so make sure that you have a way to protect your stool from becoming contaminated by these things. Set up a way to catch your stool sample ahead of time.[3]
  3. Prepare your toilet with a hat. The hat is a plastic device that looks like its namesake and is used to catch the feces so that it does not come into contact with toilet water. Ask your doctor if one is available, because it will make the process easier. The hat will fit neatly over a portion of the toilet seat.
    • To put the hat in place, lift up the toilet seat, place the hat over the bowl, and then close the toilet seat again. Position yourself on top of the portion of the bowl covered by the hat.
  4. Cover your toilet bowl with plastic wrap. If your doctor does not provide you with a hat, then you can also cover the toilet bowl with plastic wrap. To use plastic wrap, lift up the toilet seat and then place the plastic wrap across the toilet bowl. Close the toilet seat on the plastic wrap to help secure it.
    • You can also tape the plastic wrap to the side of the bowl for additional security.
    • Before you defecate, push down on the plastic to create a small dip in the plastic where the sample will collect.[4]
  5. Lay a sheet of newspaper across your toilet bowl. As a last recourse, you can also use a large sheet of newspaper to collect your stool sample. To use a piece of newspaper, lift up the toilet seat and place the newspaper across the toilet bowl and then close the toilet seat to secure it.
    • You can also tape the newspaper to the side of the bowl to hold it in place.
    • You may also want to push down on the center of the paper to create a place for the sample to settle.[2]
  6. Defecate into the collection device. Be sure to urinate first so that you do not contaminate the sample. Whether at home or at the doctor’s office, secure the toilet with either a hat or plastic wrap. Be careful that all of the sample is collected and does not come into contact with the toilet water.

Handling the Sample

  1. Deposit sample in the container. Open up one of the containers that the doctor gave you. There should be a small shovel-like tool attached to the cap of the container. Use the shovel to scoop a small bit of stool into the container. Try to take some stool from each end and from the middle.
    • The size of the sample will vary somewhat with the test. Sometimes your doctor will give you a container with a red line and liquid on the inside. You will want to put in enough stool to raise the liquid to the level of the red line. If not, aim for a sample approximately the size of a grape.
  2. Dispose of your collection device. Flip over the contents of the hat/plastic wrap into the toilet. Flush away the stool and deposit the hat/plastic wrap and any other garbage into a trash bag. Tie the trash bag in a knot, and put it somewhere that you cannot smell it.
  3. Refrigerate the sample. Whenever possible the sample should be returned immediately. If you are not doing so, it should be refrigerated. Put the container with the stool in a sealed bag and store in the fridge. Label it with your name, date, and time of collection. Consider an opaque bag so that no one can see your stool sample.[3]
  4. Return the samples to your doctor as soon as possible. Under no circumstances should you wait more than 24 hours before returning the sample to a doctor. The bacteria in your stool will grow and change. Usually your doctor will want the sample back within two hours to get an accurate result.[3]
    • Follow up with your doctor to get the results of your stool sample.

Tips

  • For sanitary reasons, wear latex gloves while collecting stool.[5]
  • A rectal swab is sometimes considered an easy, viable alternative to a stool sample. There are, however, some questions about the relative efficacy of this method for detecting some issues. Defer to your doctor.[6]

Warnings

  • The liquids that come in the kit are very toxic. Wash your hands thoroughly when you are done and do not drink the liquid.

Things You'll Need

  • Kit from your doctor
  • Plastic "hat"
  • Laxative (optional, if you are constipated)
  • Trash bag
  • Soap and water to wash your hands when you are finished

Related Articles

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ http://www.webmd.com/digestive-disorders/stool-analysis
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 https://www.carteretgeneral.com/patient_ed/stool_collection.shtml
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 http://www.nhs.uk/chq/Pages/how-should-i-collect-and-store-a-stool-faeces-sample.aspx?CategoryID=69
  4. ↑ https://www.seattlechildrens.org/pdf/PE810.pdf
  5. ↑ http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/stool-culture?page=2
  6. ↑ http://cid.oxfordjournals.org/content/34/2/167.full
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