The Bristol Stool chart can help people get a sense of what healthy poop really looks like. Everyone poops, but it’s still something a lot of us have an awfully hard time talking about.

Most people report sometimes or always glancing in the toilet or at the toilet paper after a bowel movement. Here's why the ...

While certain things such as blood in your poop and frequent diarrhea are known red flags, it turns out that whether your ...

Though it's not fun to talk about, this is what gastroenterologists want you to know about your bowel movements.

In general, ideal poop is Type 3 or Type 4. Type 1 or Type 2, on the other hand, can indicate a person is struggling with constipation. And Types 5, 6 or 7 can suggest diarrhea — though not always.

Ghost poops are bowel movements that leave no skid marks in the toilet bowl or streaks on your toilet paper. Julia Barten, a ...

Looking for the scoop on types of poop? It may not be a topic of daily conversation, but your bowel movements can tell you quite a bit about the state of your health. Here's what you need to know. The ...

Health care professionals use a tool called the the Bristol Stool Chart to classify poop into seven different types based on shape and consistency, per the Cleveland Clinic.

Blood in the stool is also a symptom of other serious health conditions like diverticulitis, polyps, or colitis. “See a gastroenterologist, please, before diagnosing yourself,” Dr. Nazareth says.

That particular example shows why the stool chart really shouldn’t be used by laypeople to self-diagnose. Instead, people should see it as a jumping-off point for health-related conversations ...

The chart is a form scale, meaning that it rates stool based on factors like size and consistency. Bowel movements are rated from 1 to 7, with 1 being the most firm and 7 being entirely liquid.