Mucus in the stool

Category: Digestive & Abdomen · All digestive symptoms

What it can feel like

Mucus in the stool means seeing slimy, jelly-like material — white, yellowish or blood-streaked — coating or mixed with the stool. The bowel lining normally makes mucus to lubricate; it becomes noticeable when the bowel is irritated or inflamed, or produces more than usual.

Possible causes

A symptom can have many causes, and most are not serious. The lists below group conditions this symptom can be associated with — common causes first. They are possibilities to discuss with a clinician, not a diagnosis.

Common causes

Mucus can be associated with irritable bowel patterns, mild infections, constipation with straining, and piles. Small amounts with an otherwise settled bowel are common and often harmless.

Other possible causes

More mucus, especially with blood, diarrhoea or pain, can be associated with inflammation of the rectum or bowel (proctitis or colitis), infections, polyps and, rarely, tumours that produce mucus.

Red flags — when to seek help promptly

Mucus with blood, or passing blood and mucus alone
Mucus with persistent diarrhoea, pain or weight loss
Mucus with fever and feeling unwell
A new, persistent pattern lasting more than a few weeks

What a clinician may do

A clinician will ask about bowel habit, blood, pain and weight, examine the abdomen and usually the rectum, and arrange stool tests for infection and inflammation (calprotectin). A camera examination of the lower bowel follows if symptoms persist or inflammation is found.

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Frequently asked questions

Is mucus alone ever serious?

Alone, without blood, diarrhoea, pain or weight loss, it is usually benign — irritable bowel patterns commonly produce visible mucus. It earns investigation when it is new and persistent, increasing, or joined by blood, pain or a change in habit.

What is calprotectin?

Calprotectin is a protein released by white blood cells in the bowel wall; its level in a stool sample rises with inflammation. It helps clinicians distinguish inflammatory bowel disease from irritable bowel patterns and decide who needs a camera test most urgently.

Related symptoms — Digestive & Abdomen

Abdominal pain Black stools Bloating Blood in the stool Change in bowel habit Constipation

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Please note: This page is educational information about a symptom. A symptom alone cannot diagnose any condition, and the causes listed here are possibilities, not a diagnosis. If you are worried about a symptom — especially one that is new, severe, getting worse or not going away — please see your own clinician, who can examine you and arrange tests. In an emergency, call your local emergency number.