If Your Poop Looks Like This, It's Time to See a Doctor

Erica Sweeney
·5-min read

Everyone’s bowel habits are different. Some people poop like clockwork: every day at the same time. Others go more sporadically, like a few times a week. Doctors say it’s crucial to know what’s normal for you and take notice when anything changes.

“Bowel movements vary from person to person as multiple factors play a role,” explains Dr. Christine Lee, MD, a gastroenterologist at the Cleveland Clinic. These factors include your diet, stress levels, medications you take, how much you exercise and many other reasons.

Typically, people with a healthy digestive system poop between three times a day and three times a week, so Dr. Lee says there’s a big range. It can take about two to five days for what you eat and drink to fully digest and be excreted from your body, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

Along with how often you poop, it’s just as important to pay attention to what comes out, says Dr. Pratima Dibba, MD, a gastroenterologist at Medical Offices of Manhattan. The size, shape, consistency, color and texture of your poop can say a lot about your health.

A good guide is the Bristol Stool Chart, which classifies stool into seven categories according to shape and texture, including:

  • Type 1: Hard, pebble-like lumps

  • Type 2: Hard, lumpy and sausage-like

  • Type 3: Shaped like a sausage, with cracks on the surface

  • Type 4: Smooth, soft and snake-like (thinner than type 3)

  • Type 5: Soft blobs with clear-cut edges

  • Type 6: Fluffy pieces with ragged edges, mushy

  • Type 7: Watery with no solid pieces

Types 3 and 4 suggest a healthy stool, Dr. Dibba says. “Outside of that, you should talk to your doctor,” especially if hard or super-soft stools persist.

If Your Poop Looks Like this, It's Time to See a Doctor, According to Gastroenterologists

Here, gastroenterologists share some signs that you should see a doctor, based on the appearance of your poop:

Color Changes

What you eat can affect the color of your poop. Fruits, vegetables and food dyes might give your poop a different hue outside the normal brown color. For instance, if you’ve been eating lots of leafy greens, you might notice your stool takes on a green tinge.

Related: How Healthy Is Your Poop? Use This Simple Chart to Find Out

But greenish poop could also signal a bacterial infection, or it might be a medication side effect, according to the Cleveland Clinic. The color change should go away in a day or two, but you should see a doctor if it doesn’t.

Take note if your poop looks red or black—it could mean you have blood in your stool, Dr. Lee says, and she recommends seeing a doctor. This could indicate rectal bleeding, hemorrhoids, anal fissures, ulcers or other health conditions. But it might also be a side effect of taking iron supplements.

Another color change to watch for is yellowish poop, which might be a sign of a liver, gallbladder or pancreas disorder.

Ongoing Loose Stools

Loose, watery stools (types 5, 6 and 7 on the Bristol Stool Chart) are signs that you have diarrhea, which could mean several things. It might just be that you ate something that didn’t agree with you or that you’re stressed out. However, it could also signal something more severe, like food poisoning, a digestive disorder or another medical problem.

Related: ‘I’m a Gastroenterologist—This Is the Snack I Eat Every Single Day To Support My Gut Health'

Usually, diarrhea will go away after a few days. But see a doctor if it doesn't or if you have loose stools and can’t eat, drink or rest comfortably, or if your symptoms don’t improve or resolve, even if they’re mild, Dr. Lee says.

Also if you have diarrhea with bloating, fever, bleeding, nausea, vomiting and shortness of breath, it’s important to get checked, Dr. Dibba says.

Persistent Constipation

Poop that’s hard, lumpy and difficult to pass (types 1 and 2 on the Bristol Stool Chart) are signs of constipation. Dr. Lee says you could be constipated if you’re not drinking enough water, eating enough fiber or exercising frequently.

Generally, you need 22 to 34 grams of fiber a day, according to Harvard Health Publishing. The best sources of fiber include fresh fruits and vegetables, beans and whole grains.

Being constipated from time to time isn’t usually something to worry about, but if it gets worse, doesn’t improve or starts happening more frequently, Dr. Lee suggests seeing a doctor. Also, make a doctor’s appointment if you’re also experiencing pain, fever, weight loss, vomiting, shortness of breath or chest pain.

“When in doubt, check it out,” she says.

Anything That Differs From Your Norm

There’s never a right or wrong time to see a gastroenterologist if you’re having problems or noticing changes in your bowel habits—or if something is bothering you, Dr. Dibba emphasizes.

Related: This Bathroom Issue Is One of the Most Common Signs of Colon Cancer, According to a GI Doc

“Someone might only go three times a week and they feel fine, and they’ve had that for 10 years. Something like that is not going to be alarming,” she explains. That’s why it’s crucial to know your baseline pooping habits.

“A change is something to be concerned about,” Dr. Dibba says, when you notice sudden changes in the texture, consistency or frequency of your poop.

If changes in your bowel movements come with other symptoms, like nausea, vomiting, pain, fevers, weight loss, anemia, loss of appetite, fatigue, weakness and numbness, Dr. Lee urges you to see a doctor.

“The majority of the time, it’s self-limited and resolves back to your baseline on its own,” she says. But with colon cancer on the rise, especially among younger people, Dr. Lee urges anyone with bowel movement changes to get checked out.

Next, read about the most important things your poop reveals about your health.

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