My daughter had a hard stool that was green today and it was difficult for her to pass, what could have caused this?
A hard stool may be indicative of:
- inadequate fibre intake
- dehydration
- adverse reactions from pharmaceutical medication
- lazy bowels
- stress
- low levels of healthy bacteria in the bowels
- insufficient digestive enzymes
- allergies
- recent illness
- Has your daughter had a history of constipation, flatulence, stomach pain or cramps, indigestion or digestive complaints?
Green coloured stools
In regards to green stools the first obvious question is what has she eaten lately which would cause her stool to turn green? How long has this occurred for, has it happened again with more recent stools, or was it a one off occurrence? Foods such as Spirulina, Chlorella, broccoli and green leafy vegetables which all contain chlorophyll (the green colouring of plants) and also iron supplements if consumed in large amounts may make the stool a greenish colour. Sometimes children may suck on things that can turn change the colour of their stools such as crayons or pencils.
Other causes of hard stools
- Fast bowel transit time, when the stool moves through the large intestines too fast. When this occurs not all of the cellulose (from vegetable matter), vitamins, nutrients and minerals have been absorbed from the foods. This usually results in diarrhea and loose green stools.
- May be indicative of inflammatory bowel problems such as Ulcerative Colitis, Crohnes Disease, Irritable Bowel Syndrome or Coeliacs Disease which cause inflammation to the intestines and results in undigested foods being moved through the bowels.
- The gall bladder stores bile which is green in color and often a green bowel movement may be due to recent ingestion of too many fats in a meal, especially if it is a once only occurrence.
- Essential fatty acid deficiencies may cause a dry stool with ineffectual urging or constipation.
- In Chinese medicine a hard dry stool is related to liver function. This is because if the liver is overactive trying to remove toxins from the body it may become overheated which consequently causes the bowels to become dry or dehydrated
- Dehydration
- Stress
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A hard stool may be indicative of: