Stool samples can help doctors diagnose some health conditions. Tips for collecting a stool sample include urinating before collecting the sample and using any tools that the sample kit provides.

If you are having digestive symptoms, your doctor may prescribe an at-home stool test, in which you collect stool samples and send them to a lab or bring them to your doctor’s office for analysis.

A University of Michigan research team is collecting stool samples from people with norovirus symptoms or those who have recovered within the past three days in order to study the virus and seek a ...