Up to 2 days before the Cologuard test you should avoid certain foods such as red meat, beets, broccoli, cantaloupe, carrots, cauliflower, cucumbers, grapefruit, horseradish, mushrooms, radishes, and turnips, which can all trigger false alarms.
Two days before and the day of the fecal occult blood test, cut out all red meat, beets, broccoli, cantaloupe, carrots, cauliflower, cucumbers, grapefruit, horseradish, mushrooms, radishes, and turnips, which can all trigger false alarms.
For about three days before the Cologuard test, your doctor may also ask you to avoid:
- Certain fruits and vegetables, including broccoli and turnips.
- Red meat.
- Horseradish.
- Vitamin C supplements.
- Pain relievers, such as aspirin and ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin IB, others)
Fasting is not required for urine or stool tests. Check with your health provider for specific food or drink avoidance associated with stool or urine testing ordered.
The Cologuard test is not as effective as a colonoscopy.
Detecting and removing polyps is critical to colon cancer prevention, and Cologuard only detects large precancerous polyps 42% of the time.
A colonoscopy detects the same polyps 95% of the time and they are removed during the same procedure.
Cologuard is not recommended for higher-risk patients that have had colon cancer, have a family history, have inflammatory bowel disorders like Crohn's disease or have had a personal history of colon polyps.