Why have I developed a yellow watery stool?

Hello. Thank you for posting.

It’s normal for your stool to change color. A varied diet and changes in your diet impact your stool. But yellow stool, sometimes called pale stool, can also indicate a number of health problems.

Yellowish (or greenish) stools that are greasy and foul smelling may be due to malabsorption disorders, such as celiac disease, or parasites such as giardia when accompanied by diarrhea. Tan colored stools suggest difficulty digesting fats, which causes congestion in the liver and gallbladder. IBS and yellow stools sometimes occur together. Stress, diet, and certain medications can also impact your stool, among other causes.

If the color persists for several days or is accompanied by other symptoms, you may want to contact your doctor.

Helena