American woman gives herself poop transplant to treat irritable bowel syndrome

An American woman who had symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) for years had a fecal microbiota transplant, or DIY poop transplant, using poop from her brother and boyfriend. In the new Netflix documentary ‘Hack your health: the secrets of your gut’, Daniell Koepke shared her experience with a DIY poop transplant. She revealed that she began experiencing indigestion, sharp pains from trapped gas, and severe constipation during her college years. When nothing seemed to help, after five years of doctor’s appointments, she decided to try the experimental treatment, where feces from a healthy donor are introduced into a patient’s intestine to repopulate it with “good” microbes.

“It’s really hard for me to remember what eating was like before it was associated with anxiety and pain and discomfort,” Koepke, a clinical psychology doctoral student, said in the documentary.

Ms Koepke recalled that when she had exhausted all other options, she proceeded with the procedure. Initially, she ingested fecal transplant pills from feces donated by her brother. However, she said that after starting the procedure she gained weight and suffered hormonal acne similar to her brother’s.

Later, Ms. Koepke chose to switch donors and used her boyfriend’s feces. However. Shortly after, she revealed that she went through a similar depression to her boyfriend. Reflecting on this, she commented, “Over time, I realized that my depression was worse than it had ever been in my life.”

Koepke later returned to using his brother’s stool, noting in the documentary that his depression disappeared within a week.

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Notably, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine, fecal microbiota transplant, or DIY poop transplant, involves collecting feces from a healthy donor and introducing them into the gastrointestinal tract of a sick patient. This procedure can restore the balance of bacteria in a sick person’s intestines.

But it is imperative to note that potential donors must not have had any exposure to antibiotics in the last six months. They must not be immunocompromised or at risk for infectious diseases and must not live with any chronic gastrointestinal disorders such as inflammatory bowel disease.

“With fecal microbiome transplants, there is really compelling evidence, but the science is still developing. We’re still working on whether this actually has benefits for broader populations and whether the benefit is lasting,” Jack Gilbert, a microbial ecologist at UC San Diego, said in the Netflix documentary.