Stools normally have an unpleasant odor. Most of the time, the odor is familiar. Stools that have an extremely bad, abnormal odor may be due to certain medical conditions. Foul-smelling stools also have normal causes, such as diet changes.
Most of the time, a foul scent alone isn't indicative of anything worrisome. But if there is a change in the smell of your number two that coincides with other potentially concerning symptoms like diarrhea, fever, chills, or unexplained weight loss, it could signal something more serious, Dr. Lee says.
Most of the time, smelly poop is caused by your diet. It could be caused by eating certain foods or from lactose intolerance. But if it routinely smells bad, you may have an imbalance in your microbiome or a disease like inflammatory bowel disease. Occasional foul-smelling stool may not require any treatment.
Even after thoroughly washing your hands, you may still notice a bad smell. This is because the potent odors from feces can be absorbed into the oils of the skin. The smell can last a while, so it's best to use an odor eliminator as soon as possible.
Urine that smells like feces could mean that there's a connection (called a “fistula”) between the rectum and the bladder or urethra. Some vaginal infections have an odd odor that women tend to notice when they urinate.
Do you ever begin sweating and feeling like you are going to pass out while pooping, or do you feel like you will pass out at the sight of blood? It's possible that your vagus nerve is causing this sensation and triggering your body's vasovagal reflex, or vasovagal response.
Fragrant hand lotion: Apply it liberally to your hands then wave your hands in the air. Some people go so far as to squirt a bit of lotion into the commode. Hair spray: The heavier the fragrance, the better when it comes to this emergency air freshener. Again, a puff in the air and one in the toilet works wonders.
That's because the poop is mainly made up of bacteria, so you have more of it just sitting around in your system, fermenting and releasing fumes out into the world. If you're constipated, make sure to drink a ton of water, exercise, and include good sources of fiber in your diet, says Gross.
People with diabetes may experience frequent diarrhea — loose, watery stools that happen at least three times a day. You may have fecal incontinence as well, especially at night.
If you have, you may have experienced phantosmia—the medical name for a smell hallucination. Phantosmia odors are often foul; some people smell feces or sewage, others describe smelling smoke or chemicals. These episodes can be sparked by a loud noise or change in the flow of air entering your nostrils.
Infection
A bacterial, parasitic, or viral infection in the gastrointestinal tract can create gas bubbles, making stool appear foamy. A common source of infection is the Giardia parasite. Consuming contaminated water or food may result in infection.
In rare cases, stool smell—along with other indicating signs—can clue you in on some underlying conditions or health issues. “Sometimes if the stool smells very tar-y or very foul smelling, that could be a sign of an infection or it could be a sign of some gastrointestinal bleeding going on,” Dr. Islam says.
Giardiasis is an infection caused by a parasite called Giardia. It causes diarrhea. Symptoms include explosive, watery, greasy, foul-smelling stools, bloating, nausea, pain, gas, fatigue, and loss of appetite.
Lack of Ventilation. When you flush your toilet, microscopic poop particles fly into the air. If you don't have good ventilation in the bathroom, those particles linger around, causing that all-too-familiar foul smell.
The most common reason the air in your bedroom smells bad in the morning is a lack of fresh air ventilation overnight. Our bodies go through multiple processes overnight where we regulate our temperature and digest food from across the day. This causes our bodies to release odours from sweat and flatulence.
When you do pass stool however, the relaxation of the stronger anal sphincter also decreases tension in the weaker urinary sphincter, allowing urine to pass at the same time.
For some people removing all of your clothing before pooping may seem strange but for many others, it is completely natural and normal. First of all, you are not alone. There are other people who prefer to have a bowel movement in the nude.
Often people need to tense their abdominal muscles and strain a bit during a bowel movement. This tends to stimulate the vagus nerve, which slows the heart rate. At the same time, blood flow back to the heart decreases, so blood pressure drops.
Your body odor can change due to hormones, the food you eat, infection, medications or underlying conditions like diabetes. Prescription-strength antiperspirants or medications may help.
Turns out there are differences in stool odors between men and women, says Edwin McDonald, MD, assistant professor of gastroenterology at the University of Chicago. That's because poo is comprised mostly of bacteria that's been living in the intestines, and the types of bacteria in the guts of men and women vary.
A person living with a health condition such as diabetes or kidney disease may also have sweat that smells like ammonia. A person can try antiperspirants to reduce the amount they sweat, and deodorants to cover up any odors. A doctor can treat any underlying health conditions to help reduce the ammonia smell in sweat.