N
The Daily Insight

How do doctors test for worms?

Author

Christopher Snyder

Updated on March 09, 2026

Endoscopy/Colonoscopy

This test is a procedure in which a tube is inserted into the mouth (endoscopy) or rectum (colonoscopy) so that the doctor, usually a gastroenterologist, can examine the intestine. This test looks for the parasite or other abnormalities that may be causing your signs and symptoms.

How do I know if I have worms?

find a large worm or large piece of worm in your poo. have a red, itchy worm-shaped rash on your skin. have sickness, diarrhoea or a stomach ache for longer than 2 weeks.

How can I test myself for worms?

Steps for the test are:

  1. Firmly press the sticky side of a 1-inch (2.5 centimeters) strip of cellophane tape over the anal area for a few seconds. The eggs stick to the tape.
  2. The tape is then transferred to a glass slide, sticky side down. ...
  3. Wash your hands well.
  4. Take the bag to your health care provider.

How long does it take to test for worms?

A technician will use dye and a microscope to look for parasites and eggs in your stool sample. Your doctor will likely call when the results are available. They may be available in as little as two days or less.

Can blood tests detect worms?

No, it will only detect those that live in the digestive tract and whose eggs are passed through the stool. There are other tests specific for other parasites, such as pinworms, or blood parasites that cause malaria.

The fecal smear, a test for worms, giardia, and coccidia

What poop looks like when you have worms?

Sometimes the worms are visible in the anal area, underwear, or in the toilet. In stools, the worms look like small pieces of white cotton thread. Because of their size and white color, pinworms are difficult to see.

How do you know you have worms in your stomach?

A person with intestinal worms may also experience dysentery. Dysentery is when an intestinal infection causes diarrhea with blood and mucus in the stool.
...
Common symptoms of intestinal worms are:

  1. abdominal pain.
  2. diarrhea, nausea, or vomiting.
  3. gas and bloating.
  4. fatigue.
  5. unexplained weight loss.
  6. abdominal pain or tenderness.

What causes worms in Virgina?

Causes of threadworms

A threadworm infection is passed from person to person by swallowing threadworm eggs. A female threadworm can lay thousands of tiny eggs around the anus or vagina.

How do humans get rid of worms?

For an intestinal infection, you'll need to take an oral medication to get rid of the tapeworm. Antiparasitic drugs used to treat intestinal infections may include: praziquantel (Biltricide) albendazole (Albenza)

Do all humans have worms?

Thanks in part to modern plumbing, people in the industrialized world have now lost almost all of their worms, with the exception of occasional pinworms in some children. Intestinal worms are properly called “helminths,” which most dictionaries will tell you are parasites.

Do I have worms or parasites?

A fecal test involves submitting a stool sample and having it checked for parasites, larvae, or eggs. This test is noninvasive and is usually the only test needed. Blood test. A blood test can be used to detect some types of parasites in the blood.

Can you feel worms in your bum?

Many people have pinworms and don't have any symptoms at all. The most common symptom of pinworms is itching around the anus. It is worse at night when the female worm deposits her eggs on the person infected.

Do worms go away on their own?

Threadworms do not go away by themselves, and people do not build up immunity to them, so they must be treated in order to eradicate them totally from the body.

What are the signs that I need to deworm?

Adults should take a deworming treatment as soon as their little one shows any symptoms (which can include irritability, tiredness, loss of appetite and an itchy bottom, among others). Follow-ups in two to four weeks are also highly recommended if signs and symptoms of an infection are still present.

Do worms make you hungry?

That's because the worm can irritate your bowels when it attaches to them with its circular suckers (and, in some cases, its movable hooks). Though the parasite does absorb some of your digested food through its skin, it won't eat enough to make you hungry.

What happens if pinworms go untreated?

Most people don't experience serious complications from pinworm infections, but in rare cases the following complications can occur: Urinary tract infections (UTIs). UTIs can develop if you do not treat the pinworm infection. Vaginitis and endometritis.

What does it feel like when you have parasites?

Digestive problems including unexplained constipation, diarrhoea or persistent gas. Skin issues such as rashes, eczema, hives, and itching. Continuous muscle and joint pain. Fatigue, even when you get enough sleep.

How often should you Deworm adults?

They also suggest health and hygiene education in schools to reduce transmission and reinfection by encouraging healthy behaviours, and also to ensure adequate sanitation. Deworming medication (figure 1.) kills adult worms but not the eggs. So repeating the dose every six months is vital.

Do pinworms cause odor?

The skin may be infected if it looks very red and swollen and is warm or tender to the touch. Pus or other discharge and a bad odor are also signs of infection. If you suspect an infection, call your child's doctor.

What happens if pinworms enter vagina?

The parasite can travel from the anal area up the vagina to the uterus, fallopian tubes and around the pelvic organs. This can cause problems such as inflammation of the vagina (vaginitis) and inflammation of the inner lining of the uterus (endometritis).

Do worms show up on ultrasound?

Intestinal parasites often cause no symptoms until they move into other parts of the body. Ascaris lumbricoides worms sometimes invade the biliary tract, a condition called biliary ascariasis. Identifying this problem can be difficult, but ultrasound was able to detect the worms in a study done in Yemen.

How do adults get worms?

Worms are mainly spread in small bits of poo from people with a worm infection. Some are caught from food. You can get infected by: touching objects or surfaces with worm eggs on them – if someone with worms doesn't wash their hands.

Why does my stool have holes in it?

You can have a hole in your colon that happens by itself. This spontaneous type of perforation is usually due to a medical condition, such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Bowel perforations also can be caused by a medical procedure that's done in or near your digestive tract.

Do I need to see a doctor for threadworms?

Threadworms (pinworms) are tiny worms in your poo. They're common in children and spread easily. You can treat them without seeing a GP.

Can pinworms go to your brain?

“The worm matures in the gut and then likes to travel to the lung,” says Shirley. “From the lung, the worm can occasionally travel to the eyes, leading to vision loss. Or it may go to the brain where it can cause encephalitis, which leads to seizures and brain damage.”