Green stool

DEFINITION

Green stool — when your feces (poop) looks green — is usually the result of something you ate, such as spinach. Green stool also can occur after you consume certain medications or iron supplements.

Newborns pass a dark green stool called meconium and breast-fed infants often produce yellow-green stools. In older children and adults, green stool is uncommon and rarely cause for concern.

CAUSES

• Diet high in green vegetables such as spinach
• Food dyes
• Severe diarrhea
• Not finishing nursing entirely on one side, thus missing some of high-fat content breast milk, which affects the digestion of the milk
• Protein hydrolysate formula (for babies with milk or soy allergy)
• Lack of normal intestinal bacteria in breast-fed infants
• Indomethacin — a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug
• Iron supplements
• Medroxyprogesterone (Depo-Provera), a contraceptive drug

WHEN TO SEE A DOCTOR

Call your doctor if you or your child experiences green stool for more than a few days. Green stool often occurs with severe diarrhea, so drink plenty of fluids and seek immediate medical attention if you or your child becomes dehydrated.