Stool Analysis

Fecal Analysis

What Affects the Test

Reasons you may not be able to have the test or why the results may not be helpful include:

• Taking medicines such as antibiotics, antidiarrheal medications, barium, bismuth, iron, ascorbic acid, ASA, and magnesium.
• Eating certain foods. For example, a diet high in red meat can cause false-positive results in testing for hidden (occult) blood.
• Contaminating a stool sample with urine, menstrual blood, bleeding hemorrhoids, or chemicals found in toilet paper and paper towels.
• Exposing the stool sample to air or room temperature or failing to send the sample to a laboratory within 1 hour of collection.

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Author:	Douglas Dana Sydney Youngerman-Cole, RN, BSN, RNC	Last Updated: June 27, 2006
Medical Review:	Martin Gabica, MD - Family Medicine Adam Husney, MD - Family Medicine Jerome B. Simon, MD, FRCPC, FACP - Gastroenterology
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