The stool guaiac test looks for hidden (occult) blood in a stool sample. It can find blood even if you cannot see it yourself. It is the most common type of fecal occult blood test (FOBT).
Guaiac is a substance from a plant that is used to coat the FOBT test cards.
Alternative Names
gFOBT; Guaiac smear test; Fecal occult blood test - guaiac smear; Stool occult blood test - guaiac smear
How the Test is Performed
Usually, you collect a small sample of stool at home. Sometimes, a doctor may collect a small amount of stool from you during a rectal examination.
If the test is done at home, you use a test kit. Follow the kit instructions exactly. This ensures accurate results. In brief:
- You collect a stool sample from 3 different bowel movements.
- For each bowel movement, you smear a small amount of the stool on a card provided in the kit.
- You mail the card to a laboratory for testing.
DO NOT take stool samples from the toilet bowl water. This can cause errors.
For infants and young children wearing diapers, you can line the diaper with plastic wrap. Place the plastic wrap so that it keeps the stool away from any urine. Mixing of urine and stool can spoil the sample.
