While most of us have heard of organ transplants, there’s a newer and arguably way weirder transplant in the medical market that may sound like a joke. However, we are not kidding around when we tell you that one woman received a real-life poo transplant.
Yes, we mean actual human feces transferred into her body from another person. You may wonder why on earth anyone would ever want (or even think to want) something like that.
With all that said, it actually makes a lot more sense than you may think and is, dare we say, not as absolutely disgusting and appalling as it sounds. Okay, so maybe it is, but it’s with a life-changing goal.
Gut health is vital to every human on the planet
Our gut health impacts the overall health of our entire bodies. So, it’s kind of a big deal. Having good gut bacteria not only helps us digest our food and produce healthy bowel movements, it also influences our mental and physical health.
Gut bacteria is connected to the functionality of all of our organs and without enough good bacteria, things can go wrong.
Too much bad gut bacteria can cause certain diseases
Embed from Getty ImagesToo much bad gut bacteria can cause diseases like Irritable Bowel Disease, Ulcerative Colitis, and Crohn’s Disease, which are all gastrointestinal diseases that can cause serious medical complications and, in some cases, colon removal.
From the constant pain to the fatigue, having any of these diseases can deeply upset someone’s quality of life.
A woman with irritable bowel syndrome was tired of feeling unwell
Embed from Getty ImagesDespite trying several treatments recommended by her doctor, a woman named Danielle Koepke couldn’t control the painful symptoms of stomach pain and constipation that plagued her each day.
At her wit’s end after trying treatment for the last five years, she decided to opt for something quite outside the box.
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She signed up for an experimental poo transplant procedure
This is the part where things start getting weird and maybe even sound like a joke. But rest assured, this is the real deal.
Koepke signed up for a fecal microbiota transplant (FMT) treatment, in which a healthy donor’s stool is introduced into a patient’s gut to give it more good bacteria. The goal is to get good gut bacteria into the patient to stop the painful symptoms.
Koepke chose her brother and boyfriend as her donors
Maybe there’s something special in the poo of loved ones. Maybe not; either way, Koepke opted for the poop samples of her boyfriend and brother to get the job done.
A FMT begins with blending a healthy donor’s stool with a saline solution and inserting it into the patient’s gastrointestinal tract. This can be through an enema, oral medicine, colonoscopy, or endoscopy. Either way, when the poo gets packed in.
There were some problems with her brother’s poo
While her symptoms improved after, er, receiving her brother’s poop, a new and unpleasant side effect started right after.
Koepke began developing acne similar to her brother’s hormonal acne.
Her boyfriend’s feces was not a better fit
While we don’t believe in judging a person based on their poo, there was also something wrong with Koepke’s boyfriend’s stool.
Her acne cleared up, but in its place came new depressive symptoms similar to the ones her boyfriend experienced.
An expert says there’s more to poo than people realize
So, it turns out that you can’t just put any poop in any person and then be ready to throw a parade. In fact, microbial ecologist at UC San Diego Jack Gilbert said to Business Insider that plunging your poop into someone new can cause hormonal changes, like with acne.
He also said that people experiencing depression are possibly missing certain bacteria from their gut, so her boyfriend’s bacteria may have dominated the depression-resistant bacteria in her gut.
The new poo brought a price to pay.
Not everyone with gut issues is a candidate for FMT
Just having gut issues doesn’t necessarily mean you’re in the clear to cram someone else’s stool in.
Certain conditions and lifestyle choices can prevent someone from being an FMT candidate, including patients with compromised immune systems, inflammatory bowel disease, continual illegal drug use, or heavy smoking.
