Stool Smells and What They Mean: Ammonia, Metal, and More

Stool (poop) comes in many forms, colors, and consistencies. It may also give off different smells. All of these stool factors can help you learn more about your health and provide clues as to whether you are dealing with certain medical conditions.

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In particular, unusual poop smells may be a sign of conditions that affect the digestive system, such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). This condition, which leads to ongoing pain and swelling in the digestive system, has two main types — Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.

Types of Stool Smells

While stool never smells good, it can sometimes take on an even more unpleasant odor than usual. Your diet is the most common cause of bad-smelling stool.

In some cases, certain types of odors are a sign of a health condition. This can occur when organs stop working properly, raising the levels of smell-causing molecules in the body. For example, the food you eat is processed by your gastrointestinal (digestive) organs as well as bacteria in your intestines. Certain types of bacteria may create smelly substances as they digest food. Additionally, your liver breaks down these substances, eliminating their smell, and your kidneys remove the substances from your body. Problems with these organs could lead to unpleasant smells in your stool.

Stool That Smells Like Ammonia

Ammonia is a strong-smelling gas. You may recognize the scent from household cleaners or window cleaners because these products often contain ammonia. This gas can also smell like old urine.

Your large intestine produces ammonia when it digests protein. Your liver then neutralizes the ammonia and helps the body get rid of it. Ammonia smells from your stool may signal a problem with these organs, such as liver disease.

Certain types of bacteria in the large or small intestines may also make high levels of ammonia. Therefore, stool that smells like ammonia may be a sign of an imbalance between “good” and “bad” bacteria in your digestive system.

Stool That Smells Like Metal

Metallic smells in your stool may be caused by actual metal — specifically, iron. This metal is an important part of hemoglobin, a protein found in red blood cells that helps the cells carry oxygen throughout the body.

When blood is found in your stool, it may cause a metallic odor. This could be a sign of health conditions like:

• IBD
• Hemorrhoids — Enlarged veins in your rectum or anus
• Anal fissures — Tears or sores in the skin near your anus
• Diverticulitis — A condition in which pouches in your intestines become inflamed or infected

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Taking supplements that contain iron may also cause your stool to look like it has blood in it or take on new smells.

Stool That Smells Like Rotten Eggs

Rotten egg smells come from a substance called sulfur. Sulfur odors often come from the diet, including:

• Sulfur-containing foods like meat, fish, dairy, eggs, and alcohol, as well as cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, and Brussels sprouts
• Foods that contain sulfite preservatives such as sulfur dioxide, potassium bisulfite, or sodium metabisulfite
• Certain medications and supplements that contain added sulfites

Having extra sulfur in your digestive system may also be a sign of infection.

Other Stool Smells

You may also notice other odors. Some people experience smells that remind them of vinegar, plastic, fish, or vomit. In some cases, stool may not smell like anything in particular — it may just stink a lot worse than usual.

There are many other possible causes of foul-smelling poop, including conditions like infections, celiac disease, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), cystic fibrosis, pancreatic conditions, and short bowel syndrome.

Eating certain foods may also cause smelly stools if your body has trouble absorbing or digesting certain nutrients. For example, you may be lactose intolerant — meaning your body can’t fully digest milk or dairy products — or gluten intolerant, in which you get sick after eating wheat, barley, or rye.

Stool Smells Related to IBD

Several studies have found that people with IBD have stools that contain unusual-smelling substances compared to those without the condition. This could occur due to differences in metabolism or inflammation. It may also be that people with IBD usually have different types of bacteria in their guts.

Additionally, Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis sometimes cause complications — additional health issues that occur alongside a first disease or treatment. These complications may lead to smelly stool or other digestive symptoms like bloating, loss of appetite, diarrhea, constipation, or other changes in bowel movements.

Infections

Having IBD or taking IBD medications such as corticosteroids, biologics, or immunomodulators can increase your risk of infection.

Infections that occur in the digestive system are common causes of smelly poop. This symptom may be caused by a parasitic infection such as giardiasis or, more commonly, a bacterial infection caused by Clostridioides difficile (C. diff) or other germs.

Malnutrition or Malabsorption

Malnutrition occurs when your body doesn’t get enough of the nutrients it needs to stay healthy. In some cases, it may be the result of an unhealthy diet. For people with Crohn’s disease, malnutrition may develop if it becomes too hard to eat due to IBD symptoms like diarrhea or abdominal cramping.

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When you eat a healthy balance of foods but your body can’t digest or use the nutrients, it is known as malabsorption. This can occur if the intestines become too damaged to properly absorb nutrients or if treatments like medication or surgery affect how your digestive system works.

Malnutrition and malabsorption can lead to abnormal stool smells. If you have IBD but haven’t recently taken new medicine or gone through dietary changes, this could be the cause.

Liver Disease

Up to 1 out of 20 people with IBD develop liver disease. There are a few possible causes. Extra fat in the liver may make it harder for healthy liver cells to do their job. The liver may also become inflamed in a condition known as hepatitis. Liver problems can affect digestion and lead to changes in stool appearance or smell.

Colorectal Cancer

IBD is a risk factor for colorectal cancer — tumors of the colon (large intestine) or rectum (the part of the large intestine that connects to the anus). Those with IBD may be two to three times more likely to develop colorectal cancer.

Some research has found that changes in stool smell may be a sign of these types of cancer. However, this condition is rare, even among those with IBD, and bad-smelling stool is much more likely to be caused by other factors.

What To Do About New or Unusual Stool Smells

Stools can have many appearances and odors among different people — what’s normal for one person may not be typical for someone else. For this reason, it’s important to think about what is usual for you. If your stools seem different than you are used to, talk to your doctor. You should also tell your doctor if foul-smelling stool occurs along with any potentially more serious issues, such as:

• Blood in your stool, which may cause it to look red, black, or tarry
• Pale-colored stool
• Fever or chills
• Abdominal pain or cramping
• Unexpected weight loss

If your doctor thinks there could be a problem, they may recommend undergoing tests to look for additional signs of health issues. You may need to give a stool sample or have your blood drawn.

There aren’t any treatments that can immediately fix the problem of smelly stool. However, make sure to follow any diets or eating plans that your doctor gives you to reduce your chances of digestive symptoms. You may be able to help fix imbalances in your gut bacteria by eating foods or taking supplements that contain probiotics. Additionally, make sure to drink extra water if your stool is very loose or watery in order to prevent dehydration.

Digestive symptoms such as changes in odor are often caused by what you eat. To learn which foods may be leading to these issues, try tracking what you eat with a food diary. Using paper and pen, a calendar, or a smartphone app, write down the time and contents of every meal and snack. Additionally, record any digestive symptoms you notice. You can use this method to identify whether certain foods or ingredients are causing problems. In the future, you may want to avoid these foods.

Talk With Others Who Understand

MyCrohnsAndColitisTeam is the social network for people with Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis and their loved ones. On MyCrohnsAndColitisTeam, more than 166,000 members come together to ask questions, give advice, and share their stories with others who understand life with IBD.

Have you experienced unusual-smelling stools? Share your experience in the comments below, or start a conversation by posting on your Activities page.

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