What should I do to prepare for my Essential Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) Screening Test?

Proton pump inhibitor (PPI) medication, such as lansoprazole or omeprazole can make the H. pylori stool test less accurate. If you take PPIs you should stop this at least 2 weeks before testing. It is usually safe to stop this medication for a short period of time, but if you're not sure, speak to your prescriber. The test for coeliac disease will not be accurate if you do not have gluten in your diet. Make sure your diet contains wheat, barley or rye in the 6 weeks before testing for accurate results.

Who should not use the Essential Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) Screening Test?

We do not recommend using this test panel if you: are a child (17 years or under) are pregnant are feeling acutely unwell - e.g. with a cold or flu or if you have new-onset (i.e. within the last few days) gut symptoms such as stomach abdominal pain or diarrhoea. If you're unsure if you should use this test panel, please contact us for advice.

Essential Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) Screening Test

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Easy At-Home Test

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Blood & Stool Samples

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Think it's probably irritable bowel syndrome but not sure? Take our IBS Screen to test for the other common causes of gut symptoms.

Use our easy home sampling kit to send a stool sample to our lab. This test panel also involves a blood test and you can choose how to collect your blood sample. Your samples will be analysed by our UKAS-accredited lab partner (who also test for the NHS) and you'll get your results and doctor's report in days.

TESTS FOR:

Gut InflammationCoeliac Disease RiskH. pylori Infection

Choose how to collect your blood sample

Arrange for a venous blood draw yourself

Free

We'll send you a venous blood sample collection kit. You'll need to arrange for a healthcare professional to take the blood for you.

Visit a clinic to have your blood taken

£35.00

Personalise your test

Depending on your age, sex and any symptoms, you may consider adding to your test panel.

Total Price:£169.00

Essential Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) Screening Test Box

Our Essential Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) Screening Test is for you if...

You've got gut symptoms like stomach pain, bloating, diarrhoea or constipation.
You think you might have irritable bowel syndrome or IBS.
You want a simple test to check for other common causes of bowel symptoms.

How does the
Essential Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) Screening Test help you?

Dr Claire Merrifield

GP, PhD and our Medical Director

Irritable bowel syndrome or IBS affects about 1-in-10 of us in the UK and causes gut symptoms such as:

Stomach pain
Bloating
Constipation
Diarrhoea
Needing to open your bowels urgently

Stress and anxiety play a role in making IBS symptoms worse and sometimes the worry of not knowing what's causing gut symptoms feeds into this vicious circle.

The trouble is that it can be difficult to tell the difference between conditions like gut inflammation or coeliac disease and IBS based on symptoms alone. There is no test for IBS specifically but guidance from the British Society of Gastroenterology recommends that everyone with suspected IBS should have some tests to check for the other common causes of gut symptoms.

Based on these guidelines, we've developed the Essential IBS Screening Test which tests for gut inflammation, coeliac disease and H. pylori infection all in one go. Ruling out these common conditions quickly and easily is the first step to getting your gut symptoms under control.

What's tested in your Essential Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) Screening Test?

Gut Inflammation
Gut inflammation is a common cause of gut symptoms such as stomach pain and diarrhoea.
WHAT'S MEASURED?
- Faecal calprotectin is a sensitive marker of inflammation in the gut.
- C-reactive protein is released by the liver in response to infection or inflammation.
Coeliac Disease Risk
Coeliac disease affects 1% of the population and most people don't know they have it. It causes indigestion, stomach pain, diarrhoea and weight loss.
WHAT'S MEASURED?
- Raised levels of tissue transglutaminase antibodies are a marker of coeliac disease.
H. pylori Infection
Helicobacter pylori infection affects up to 1-in-5 of us in the UK. It causes stomach inflammation and ulcers which causes indigestion symptoms.
WHAT'S MEASURED?
- A biomarker for the presence of Helicobacter pylori in the gut.

Learning more about our IBS Screening Test

: Proton pump inhibitor (PPI) medication, such as lansoprazole or omeprazole can make the H. pylori stool test less accurate. If you take PPIs you should stop this at least 2 weeks before testing. It is usually safe to stop this medication for a short period of time, but if you're not sure, speak to your prescriber. The test for coeliac disease will not be accurate if you do not have gluten in your diet. Make sure your diet contains wheat, barley or rye in the 6 weeks before testing for accurate results.
: A number of common conditions like gut inflammation, coeliac disease and H. pylori infection can cause very similar symptoms to irritable bowel syndrome. This test panel checks for all these common conditions. If you get negative results, it's very unlikely that you have one of them. If we do pick one them up with a positive test, then you'll have a target to treat. Either way, you'll be in a better position to get your symptoms under control.
: We do not recommend using this test panel if you:

are a child (17 years or under)

are pregnant

are feeling acutely unwell - e.g. with a cold or flu or if you have new-onset (i.e. within the last few days) gut symptoms such as stomach abdominal pain or diarrhoea.

If you're unsure if you should use this test panel, please contact us for advice.

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