Each kit contains applicator sticks, a collection container, and two sterile containers. You may need to collect more than one sample over 1 to 3 days. Follow the same process each day. The test will take a few minutes each time you take a sample.
Follow-up care is a key part of your treatment and safety. Be sure to make and go to all appointments, and call your doctor or nurse call line if you are having problems.
It's also a good idea to keep a list of the medicines you take. Ask your doctor when you can expect to have your test results. Adapted with permission from copyrighted materials from Healthwise, Incorporated Healthwise.
This information does not replace the advice of a doctor. Healthwise disclaims any warranty and is not responsible or liable for your use of this information. Your use of this information means that you agree to the Terms of Use. Do you need a stool test, or a stool analysis? There are two elements to having an NHS stool test: collecting the sample yourself when you have a bowel movement, and testing the sample, which usually takes place at a laboratory.
A healthcare professional will explain to you how to collect the sample. You should try not to get any urine in the sample. This process is obviously pretty quick. Back to top Find the root cause of your symptoms. View our gut health tests.
How long an NHS stool test takes completely depends on your individual case, like what your doctor is testing you for or where the sample is tested on site or sent away to a laboratory. Back to top. You prepare a Healthpath stool test in the same way as you would prepare one for the NHS: make your deposit and collect a sample of stool in a small container. The only difference is that instead of taking it to your GP surgery or hospital, you package it up in a sterile container provided with the test kit and send it to our laboratory for them to assess.
Comprehensive stool tests not only look at a broad range of microbes in your gut: bacteria, yeasts, archaea, parasites and even worms, but functional markers too, such as:. If you have diarrhea, a large plastic bag taped to the toilet seat may make the collection process easier; the bag is then placed in a plastic container. If you are constipated, you may be given a small enema. Do not collect the sample from the toilet bowl. Do not mix toilet paper, water, or soap with the sample.
Place the lid on the container and label it with your name, your doctor's name, and the date the stool was collected. Use one container for each day's collection. Collect a sample only once a day unless your doctor gives you other directions. How long the test takes The test will take a few minutes each time you take a sample.
How It Feels There is no pain while collecting a stool sample. Risks Any stool sample may contain germs that can spread disease. Results Each lab has a different range for what's normal. Stool analysis Normal: The stool appears brown, soft, and well-formed in consistency. The stool is shaped like a tube. Abnormal: The stool is black, red, white, yellow, or green.
The stool is liquid or very hard. There is too much stool. Abnormal values High levels of fat in the stool may be caused by diseases such as pancreatitis , sprue celiac disease , cystic fibrosis , or other disorders that affect the absorption of fats.
The presence of undigested meat fibres in the stool may be caused by pancreatitis. A low pH may be caused by poor absorption of carbohydrate or fat. Stool with a high pH may mean inflammation in the intestine colitis , cancer, or antibiotic use.
Blood in the stool may be caused by bleeding in the digestive tract. White blood cells in the stool may be caused by inflammation of the intestines, such as ulcerative colitis , or a bacterial infection. Rotaviruses are a common cause of diarrhea in young children. If diarrhea is present, testing may be done to look for rotaviruses in the stool. High levels of reducing factors in the stool may mean a problem digesting some sugars.
Low levels of reducing factors may be caused by sprue celiac disease , cystic fibrosis, or malnutrition. Medicine such as colchicine for gout or birth control pills may also cause low levels.
Credits Current as of: September 23, Current as of: September 23, Digestive System White blood cells Liver Pancreas. The stool should be collected into clean, dry plastic jars with screw-cap lids. You can get these from your doctor or through hospital laboratories or pharmacies, although any clean, sealable container could do the job. For best results, the stool should then be brought to the laboratory immediately.
If the stool specimen is going to be examined for an infection, and it's impossible to get the sample to the laboratory right away, the stool should be refrigerated, then taken to the laboratory to be cultured as soon as possible after collection. When the sample arrives at the lab, it is either examined and cultured immediately or placed in a special liquid medium that attempts to preserve potential bacteria or parasites.
The doctor or the hospital laboratory will usually provide written instructions on how to successfully collect a stool sample; if written instructions are not provided, take notes on how to collect the sample and what to do once you've collected it.
If you have any questions about how to collect the specimen, be sure to ask. The doctor or the lab will also let you know if a fresh stool sample is needed for a particular test, and if it will need to be brought to the laboratory right away.
Most of the time, disease-causing bacteria or parasites can be identified from a single stool specimen. Sometimes, however, up to three samples from different bowel movements must be taken. The doctor will let you know if this is the case.
In general, the results of stool tests are usually reported back within 3 to 4 days, although it often takes longer for parasite testing to be completed.
Your doctor will sometimes check the stool for blood , which can be caused by certain kinds of infectious diarrhea, bleeding within the gastrointestinal tract, and other conditions. However, most of the time, blood streaking in the stool of an infant or toddler is from a slight rectal tear, called a fissure, which is caused by straining against a hard stool this is fairly common in infants and kids with ongoing constipation. Testing for blood in the stool is often performed with a quick test in the office that can provide the results immediately.
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