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Q. My 19 months old baby is on iron supplement and passing black stools. Should I get her checked?

Answered by
Dr. Babu Lal Meena
and medically reviewed by iCliniq medical review team.
This is a premium question & answer published on Nov 08, 2019

Hello doctor,

My daughter is 19 months old and she passed a dark black putty stool today. She has been taking iron supplements for anemia for three and a half months now, and I have never seen a stool like this before. Should I get her checked over at emergency?

#

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

Dark color stool is probably due to iron supplement, you may be not noticed it previously or it may be that yesterday she has given more amount of iron supplement. Dark color stool due to blood is unlikely if there is no underlying liver disease or swallowed blood due to any cause. You need to worry if there is fresh blood in the stool.

Advice:

1. Stop iron supplement for a few days, because you have never seen dark color stool previously. Persistent dark stool despite no iron supplement is abnormal and requires evaluation.

2. Keep a close watch for fresh blood, if you find it, it is necessary to investigate.

3. Post photo of stool if possible.

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