Yellow-colored vomit is typically a sign that you’re throwing up bile, which is a yellow digestive fluid that helps break down food in your stomach. This might occasionally happen if you throw up on an empty stomach.
Frequent yellow vomit can indicate another issue, such as a health condition or intestinal blockage. If this symptom occurs more than once, a healthcare provider can help find the root cause and stop the yellow vomit.
Vomit with a yellowish hue can look slightly different for each person and vary based on the underlying cause.
The appearance of yellow vomit signals that you are throwing up bile, a yellow-colored digestive fluid created by the liver and stored in the gallbladder. Some people describe this vomit as some shade of yellow or green.
Yellow vomit can vary in frequency and duration. It’s possible to experience yellow vomit once in a while if you do not have enough food in your stomach or if you have a health condition that triggers bile to resurface through the digestive tract. Depending on the root cause, yellow vomit might present with other symptoms, such as stomach pain, bloating, nausea, or gas.
Yellow vomit happens when a yellow-colored digestive fluid known as bile flows back up through the digestive tract and out of your mouth when you throw up. Several health conditions can trigger yellow vomit, but this symptom isn’t always a cause for concern. Here are some potential causes:
Bile reflux can cause yellow vomit. This condition prompts the digestive liquid bile to flow back into the stomach and esophagus, the tube connecting the stomach and the mouth.
People with peptic ulcers and people who have had a gastric bypass or gallbladder removal surgery are more likely to develop bile reflux, often due to a structural issue or surgical complication. In addition to yellow vomit, other symptoms of bile reflux include:
- Heartburn
- Nausea
- Stomach pain
- Hoarse voice
- Unintentional weight loss
- Persistent cough
If you throw up and there isn’t any food in your stomach, digestive fluids like bile may come out instead, resulting in yellow-colored vomit. This can happen due to a viral infection like gastroenteritis (the stomach flu) or food poisoning.
In these cases, you may have already emptied the food contents of your stomach, so the only fluids left are stomach acid and bile. While this cause of yellow vomit is usually not concerning, you’ll likely notice other digestive symptoms like diarrhea, fever, body aches, and fatigue.
Bowel obstruction (intestinal blockage) occurs when the small or large intestine becomes physically blocked or damaged. Digestive fluids like bile may be forced back up into the stomach and esophagus, leading to nausea and yellowish-green vomit.
Possible reasons for a bowel obstruction include:
- Hernia: When the intestine bulges through part of your weakened stomach wall
- Adhesions: Bands of scar tissue on the intestines
- Tumors: Growths that can be malignant (cancerous) or benign (non-cancerous)
- Foreign objects: Accidental swallowing of a non-food item or having a hard piece of impacted stool in the bowels
Yellow vomit that happens several hours after eating can suggest that a bowel obstruction is the cause. Depending on the cause of your bowel obstruction, you might also notice symptoms like:
- Severe stomach pain or cramping
- Nausea
- Bloating
- Inability to pass gas
- Loss of appetite
- Dehydration
Certain medications can relax the pyloric sphincter, the muscle that allows your stomach contents to funnel into the small intestine. If it is too relaxed, bile can pass up into the stomach—creating a perfect storm for yellow vomit if you throw up. Some of these medication triggers include:
- Asthma medications
- Blood pressure medications such as calcium channel blockers
- Sedatives like benzodiazepines
- Some antibiotics
- Certain antidepressants like amitriptyline
If you think a medication you are currently taking may be contributing to the presence of bile in your vomit, check with a healthcare provider before stopping it. They can confirm your suspicion and suggest an alternative medication if needed.
A one-time occurrence of yellow vomit likely is not a cause for alarm. Consider checking with a healthcare provider if you’re noticing this symptom more often or if it comes along with:
- Fever
- Stomach pain
- Diarrhea
- Heartburn
- Nausea
- Vomiting more than three times in a day
- Infrequent urination
Babies, young children, and older adults would likely be admitted to a hospital or urgent care to quickly treat the vomiting and avoid any complications, like dehydration.
Otherwise, a visit to the healthcare provider includes reviewing your medical history and symptoms before moving on to a physical exam. Based on those findings, they may order diagnostic tests such as:
- Blood tests: These tests can detect inflammation in the liver or gallbladder, where bile is housed.
- Imaging tests: A computed tomography (CT) scan or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) test can reveal issues like a hernia or bowel obstruction. A hepatobiliary iminodiacetic acid (HIDA) scan can track bile flow from the liver to the small intestine.
- Upper endoscopy: This procedure involves inserting a thin tube with a camera down your throat so a healthcare provider can view the esophagus and stomach.
- Esophageal manometry: This test measures the contractions of your esophagus as you swallow via a tube inserted into your nose.
- Esophageal impedance: In a hospital setting, this test uses a probe inserted into your nose to detect any bile in the esophagus over a day.
Note that yellow vomit in babies and infants is usually the result of a serious bowel blockage, so it’s assessed and treated as a medical emergency.
The main goal for treating yellow vomit is to stop this symptom and prevent complications like dehydration. From there, treating any underlying conditions can take place. Some possible first-line treatment options for vomiting include:
- Rehydration through intravenous (IV) fluids
- Antiemetic (anti-nausea) medications
- Acupressure wristbands
- Gastric stimulation implanted device
If your yellow vomiting episodes are under control, a healthcare provider may suggest watchful waiting to see if your condition improves or changes.
Yellow vomit caused by an underlying health condition will require different treatment tactics, such as treating an infection or undergoing surgery to remove an obstruction. Medications may be prescribed for a bile reflux diagnosis to reduce the amount of bile entering the stomach or to prevent any digestive tract damage.
You may not always be able to prevent yellow vomit that’s the result of throwing up on an empty stomach. However, there are some tactics you can implement to avoid vomiting—and vomiting up bile—in the first place. Here’s what experts generally suggest:
- Eat smaller meals more frequently throughout the day to avoid an empty stomach
- Remain upright immediately after eating rather than lying down or reclining
- Avoid strong scents, which can sometimes trigger nausea or vomiting
- Incorporate bland foods into your diet if you suspect you may become nauseous or vomit
- Prop yourself up with pillows before sleeping to prevent bile from flowing upward in your digestive tract
- Maintain good hygiene habits, wash your hands, and prepare food correctly to prevent infections and illnesses
- Follow a treatment plan to keep any chronic health conditions that could be triggering yellow vomit under control
Yellow vomit indicates that the digestive fluid bile is present. It can happen if you throw up on an empty stomach, but it could also be a sign of an underlying health condition or bowel blockage.
If you notice unexplained or frequent episodes of yellow vomit, check with a healthcare provider. Babies with yellow-colored vomit should be seen by an emergency healthcare provider immediately.
