(NEW YORK) — At-home stool tests can be an easier way to screen for colorectal cancer than a dreaded colonoscopy. As the rates of the cancer continue to rise in younger people, home tests might help improve detection and get people treated sooner.

March marks the beginning of Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month. Colorectal cancer is the third most commonly diagnosed and third most common cause of cancer deaths in the U.S., according to the American Cancer Society. Diagnosis of the disease is on the rise among younger people under age 55, according to a new study from the ACS, and it’s being diagnosed at more advanced stages.

That’s why the American Cancer Society is reminding people that any screening for colorectal cancer can save lives. Adults with average risk should get screened starting at age 45, according to the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force.

“Identifying cancers earlier make it a lot easier to treat”, Dr. Jeffrey Farma, a surgical oncologist and interim chairman of surgery at Fox Chase Cancer Center, told ABC News.

At-home stool tests, where people collect stool samples and send them to a lab, can help make the process easier for some people. Here’s how to know if this is a good option for you.

Who is a good candidate for at-home stool tests?

The first step is to have a discussion with your doctor about whether you qualify for at-home stool tests given your family history and medical history.

Only people with “average” colorectal cancer risk – who don’t have any family or medical history that makes them high-risk — can use the tests. High-risk individuals aren’t eligible, experts say.

High-risk individuals are those with colon cancer in a first-degree relative (like parents or siblings), or personal or family history of a higher risk polyp in the colon or rectum. Those people should “only get screened with a colonoscopy”, Dr. Fola May, a gastroenterologist, quality director and health equity researcher at UCLA Health, told ABC News.

Other high-risk individuals for colorectal cancer are those with inflammatory bowel disease such as Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis, and people with genetic conditions that put them at risk for cancers.

People at increased risk may need to start screening for colorectal cancer earlier and get tested more often.

What are the available at-home stool tests?

Several at-home stool-based tests exist.

These tests check the stool for signs of cancer such as blood, unusual changes in DNA, or both. There are a few types of tests. Some, like the fecal immunochemical test, are done every year. Others, like stool DNA tests, only need to be done every three years.

Companies offering these tests include Cologuard, Labcorp, or QuestDirect. Talk to your doctor about which one is best for you.

What are the pros and cons of at-home tests?

The biggest advantage to at-home stool tests is that they can be done in the comfort of your own home.

That convenience is one reason why the rate of colorectal cancer screening was stable in the second year of the pandemic, a recent study found, even when rates of other types of cancer screening went down. “The pandemic pushed everyone to think about more convenient or more person-centric ways to get cancer screening completed”, Dr. Arif Kamal, Chief Patient Officer for the ACS, told ABC News.

Additionally, unlike a colonoscopy, at-home stool tests do not require patients to take the unpleasant step of clearing out their bowel with fluids, pills, enemas, or a combination. Patients also will not need sedation or need to miss a day of work to do the stool test.

While not leaving your house adds a large appeal to at-home stool tests, they’re not always as accurate as a colonoscopy. They can miss many polyps and some cancers. Some stool-based tests may also be affected by your diet or drugs you take.

Is a colonoscopy still needed?

Doctors stress that while these at-home stool tests may be more convenient and done in the comfort of home, if any of these test are abnormal, you’ll still need a colonoscopy.

“If you don’t get that second step, colonoscopy, you have not completed the screening process and are more likely to get and die from colorectal cancer,” May says.

You should also talk to your doctor about timely colorectal cancer screening if you have changes in bowel habits, blood in your stool, diarrhea, constipation, feeling your bowel does not empty all the way, abdominal pain, aches, cramps that do not go away, or unexplained weight loss, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Get screened, in any way

The ACS estimates that in 2023, approximately 153,020 people will be diagnosed with colorectal cancer in the U.S., and 52,550 people will die from the disease, including 19,550 cases and 3,750 deaths in individuals younger than 50.

Colonoscopies are the gold standard for colorectal cancer screening, but experts say any test is better than no test — which is where at-home stool testing comes in.

“The best cancer screening is the one that gets done,” Kamal said.

Kimberly Loo, MD is an internal medicine resident at New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, and a contributor to the ABC News Medical Unit.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(NEW YORK) — The popularity around weight loss drugs like Ozempic is worrying eating disorder experts, who say the conversation risks making recovery harder and could put others at risk of developing disorders.

“My fear is that there is now a belief that anyone can and should achieve a certain body shape and size with the help of these medications, so there’s going to be an even greater drive towards a certain body type,” said Tracy Richmond, director of the eating disorder program at Boston Children’s Hospital.

Medications like Ozempic and Mounjaro were originally developed and FDA approved to treat people with Type 2 diabetes. But they also lead to weight loss, and many doctors also prescribe them off-label to patients with obesity. They’re medically necessary for people with Type 2 diabetes, and the associated weight loss can also have health benefits for some people who are overweight or obese.

Now, celebrities and public figures are either taking or are rumored to take these drugs, as are others who aren’t overweight but who have the means to pay for a prescription out of pocket. Telehealth startups are advertising the drugs to anyone who wants to lose weight with little medical oversight, according to reporting from the Wall Street Journal.

“You see celebrities shrinking,” Richmond said. “It points out that there is a desire for smaller and smaller body size. Even in people who are ‘normal’ sized, there’s still a drive to do something as extreme as taking these medications.”

That’s a risky environment for people with eating disorders — some of whom are also seeking out the drugs themselves, said Dr. Kim Dennis, a psychiatrist specializing in eating disorders and co-founder and CEO of SunCloud Health.

“It’s just another new tool in the toolbox for self-destruction for people who have eating disorders,” she said.

Dennis said she’s seeing that most from people who don’t fit the stereotype of a person with an eating disorder, including “folks in larger bodies.”

That could include people with atypical anorexia, a diagnosis where someone has all of the symptoms of anorexia but is not underweight, or people with binge eating disorder, Dennis said. A doctor might prescribe them Ozempic or a similar drug because they have a higher BMI, with the assumption that using the drug to lose weight would make that person healthier.

“That’s for sure not the case if the person has an eating disorder,” she said.

Experts also worry that people who take these drugs without a medical need and do see weight loss could go on to develop an eating disorder. People who lose a significant amount of weight often become fixated on body size and food and can develop eating disorders, Richmond said.

“We don’t know what that’s like with a medication like Ozempic, but I wouldn’t expect it to be very different,” she said.

The drugs don’t cause permanent changes — people can gain weight back if they stop taking it, research shows. Richmond said she’d be concerned about how people might react when the effects plateau or if they’re no longer taking the drug.

“You could see a drive for higher doses or more restrictive eating,” she said.

Overall, the conversation around the drugs risks reversing progress on the idea that there can be health at every size, Richmond said.

For some people, weight loss can help lower diabetes risk or lower blood pressure. But other people at higher weight might not have any health problems. Someone’s weight does not in and of itself give any information about any diseases they might have, she said.

“Weight alone is not a health issue,” Richmond said. “Weight is a health issue when it’s tied to adverse outcomes — and for some people it is, and some it isn’t.”

But the focus of the conversation around Ozempic and similar drugs is on the weight loss aspects, not improved health, Dennis said.

“It makes my work a lot harder,” she said. “It reinforces all of these ideas about the thin ideal that are so deeply embedded in culture and the medical establishment and are not founded in truth, or reality, or science.”

If you or someone you know is battling an eating disorder, contact the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA) at 1-800-931-2237 or NationalEatingDisorders.org.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(NEW YORK) — On the last day of February, Estefania Alvarado was experiencing a whirlwind of emotions, but mostly she was feeling excited. Her baby boy, who had been in the hospital since he was born last August, was finally getting discharged.

“I couldn’t sleep the night before,” Alvarado told ABC News’ Good Morning America. “I was so ready. It’s like, I finally get to take my baby home because I’ve been a mom for six months but I haven’t had my baby with me.”

Alvarado, along with her own mother, headed to Peyton Manning Children’s Hospital in Indianapolis, where her 6-month-old son Giorgio had been in the neonatal intensive care unit for the last 190 days. Giorgio’s team of doctors, nurses and hospital staff gathered to see him off, lining the hospital hallway and cheering with blue pompoms.

“All of them were there. Some of [the staff] were off and they even took the day to come in. So I just felt the love and I think not just for us, but for my kid, which is the most important thing,” Alvarado recalled.

“It was the best day of my life,” the 30-year-old added.

Alvarado and her partner Richard Fabsits welcomed Giorgio on Aug. 22, 2022. It was unexpected for the couple as Alvarado told GMA she was only six months pregnant at the time and had been feeling fine.

“I went to work. It was a normal day for me,” said Alvarado, who works for a fragrance company. “Basically, when I got to my job, I used the bathroom. I noticed there was some bleeding. I called my doctor and she was like, ‘Oh, just come in. Don’t worry. Sometimes, things like that happen.’ And I didn’t feel any pain.”

When Alvarado was seen at a local hospital in Carmel, Indiana, a doctor there broke the news to her that things weren’t going to go as planned.

“Another doctor came in because my doctor was going to leave and she checked me and she was like, ‘Oh my gosh.’ She’s like, ‘You’re not going home.’ She’s like, ‘You’re dilated three centimeters already,'” Alvarado said.

Alvarado was transferred to Peyton Manning Children’s Hospital at Ascension St. Vincent, and three days later, Giorgio was born via cesarean section at 23 weeks and five days gestation.

“He came out actually crying, so immediately me and mom knew at that moment … I don’t know if it’s a mother or dad’s intuition, but we knew he was going to make it,” Fabsits, 33, said. “However, it was quite the roller coaster.”

According to his dad, Giorgio was born with various health issues, including a hole in his heart, a birth defect called patent ductus arteriosus, or PDA, where a heart valve doesn’t close as it should, and a brain bleed. The baby boy also had to be treated for at least two septic infections, a skin infection called cellulitis, and seizures, among other developments, and had to undergo tests and surgeries for months.

Alvarado and Fabsits said they would visit Giorgio, who they call their “miracle baby,” every day at the hospital and never gave up on their son, even when there were times no one knew whether Giorgio would make it to the next day.

“I feel like what kept us alive, me and dad, is our faith. We prayed every day,” Alvarado said. “We had each other, we had our family. So to be honest, even though we went through what we went through, I do feel blessed, because I know there’s some people that don’t even have that.”

The first-time parents said they wanted to share Giorgio’s story publicly to offer hope to families, especially to other NICU parents facing the unknown with their kids, and to encourage parents to advocate for their child’s care.

“The utmost, No. 1 thing that has pushed me through is intuition,” Fabsits said. “A parent’s intuition is unmatched. A doctor knows their field and they know that the medicine that they need to provide, and they know their treatments, and they need to operate when they need to, but a parent’s intuition is something that can’t be beat because you have a connection with your kid.”

Speaking to other parents experiencing similar situations, Alvarado added, “I want them to know that there is light at the end of the tunnel. It might take a long time but there is. Just keep praying and advocate for your kids. But there is a light at the end of the tunnel and it’s a great feeling.”

They also said they want Giorgio to know he’s been a strong child from the get-go and that from their view, his future looks bright.

“I just want Giorgio to know that he’s got loving parents that would do absolutely anything for him and that he is the strongest person I know,” Fabsits said. “In the six months he’s lived, he has went through so much, more than I have in my entire life and that no matter what, I know he can power through anything and to keep that mindset and that fight that he has, because he is absolutely a miracle to us and to the world. And I know he’s going to do great things.”

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.