Stool Appearance
The Bristol Stool Chart is a reference guide healthcare providers use to evaluate stool. It classifies stool into seven types based on shape and consistency, from very solid to very liquid, and focuses specifically on shape and firmness. Paediatricians use a modified form of the chart with fewer types, which are easier to tell apart so that children can point to the stool they recognise.
Why it matters: The shape, colour and smell of bodily waste are all important indicators of health, and can signal if something inside is not working quite right. These classifications help to diagnose constipation, diarrhoea and related conditions, and can help define what is normal for a particular person. Firmer, drier types suggest constipation and can happen when stools spend too long travelling through the intestines; looser, mushier types suggest diarrhoea and happen when the bowels move too fast and too often and do not absorb enough water. It is normal to have a hard stool or a mushy stool now and then, and things like what a person eats and how much water or alcohol they drink can affect stools from day to day.
Source · Cleveland Clinic — what it is, why it matters, what moves it, related conditions
May increase with:
May decrease with:
What is Stool Appearance?
The Bristol Stool Chart is a reference guide healthcare providers use to evaluate stool. It classifies stool into seven types based on shape and consistency, from very solid to very liquid, and focuses specifically on shape and firmness. Paediatricians use a modified form of the chart with fewer types, which are easier to tell apart so that children can point to the stool they recognise.
What might a high or low Stool Appearance mean?
The shape, colour and smell of bodily waste are all important indicators of health, and can signal if something inside is not working quite right. These classifications help to diagnose constipation, diarrhoea and related conditions, and can help define what is normal for a particular person. Firmer, drier types suggest constipation and can happen when stools spend too long travelling through the intestines; looser, mushier types suggest diarrhoea and happen when the bowels move too fast and too often and do not absorb enough water. It is normal to have a hard stool or a mushy stool now and then, and things like what a person eats and how much water or alcohol they drink can affect stools from day to day.
What can affect Stool Appearance?
It may be higher with: Firmer, drier, harder-to-pass stools — when stools spend too long travelling through the intestines, or with dehydration. It may be lower with: Looser, mushier or liquid stools — when the bowels move too fast and too often and do not absorb enough water, A passing stomach bug or food poisoning, which may cause diarrhoea for a few days, An unknown food intolerance or a medication being taken.
Track your Stool Appearance over time
Upload your lab report and see where your values fall.
Get Started Free