Stool samples can help doctors diagnose some health conditions. Tips for collecting a stool sample include urinating before collecting the sample and using any tools that the sample kit provides.

If you are having digestive symptoms, your doctor may prescribe an at-home stool test, in which you collect stool samples and send them to a lab or bring them to your doctor’s office for analysis.

Pancreatic elastase is the digestive enzyme the pancreas produces to help digest food. Doctors can measure elastase levels by testing a stool sample. Low levels could indicate exocrine pancreatic ...

Carley Millhone is a writer and editor based in the Midwest who covers health, women's wellness, and travel. Her work has appeared in publications like SELF, Greatist, and PureWow. Jay N. Yepuri, MD, ...

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Among survey respondents with IBD who had used the mail-order option, 90.5% said they would recommend using a mail-order kit for future stool sample collection, and 83% said they would be interested ...