SIBO, celiac, or a food intolerance? Stop guessing where to start. Tell us when your symptoms happen and what triggers them to find the first test or assessment to ask about.
Your result is a guide, not a diagnosis. Seek urgent medical help for severe pain, heavy bleeding, black tarry stool, fainting, or trouble breathing. Learn what your result means.
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Ask about a celiac blood panel, usually tTG-IgA with total IgA. IgA deficiency changes which antibody tests are useful. Adults may also need an upper endoscopy with small-intestine biopsies.
How this test works and how to arrange it →A clinician may first review your food and symptom pattern or suggest a supervised dietary trial. A lactose hydrogen breath test measures gas after a lactose drink, with symptoms recorded during the test.
How this test works and how to arrange it →In selected symptomatic people, including those with previous bowel surgery or motility disorders, a clinician may consider a glucose or lactulose hydrogen breath test. Methane measurement may be considered with constipation for intestinal methanogen overgrowth (IMO), a distinct condition.
How this test works and how to arrange it →IBS is usually diagnosed from the symptom pattern, medical history, and examination. Targeted blood or stool tests may check for other conditions. There is no single routine blood, stool, or breath test that confirms IBS.
How this test works and how to arrange it →Evaluation may include blood tests, stool tests for inflammation or infection, colonoscopy with biopsies, and imaging. A fecal calprotectin test can help assess intestinal inflammation but cannot diagnose Crohn’s disease by itself.
How this test works and how to arrange it →For chronic watery diarrhea without alarm features, AGA guidance supports considering fecal calprotectin or lactoferrin, Giardia testing, celiac blood tests, and assessment for bile acid diarrhea. Testing depends on your history and symptoms.
How this test works and how to arrange it →There is no validated standalone blood test for non-celiac gluten sensitivity. Start by discussing celiac testing and, when the reaction suggests it, wheat allergy assessment. A clinician can guide any dietary trial afterward.
How this test works and how to arrange it →There is no reliable routine laboratory test that confirms this condition. The specialist guideline says serum diamine oxidase (DAO) measurement has no diagnostic value. Start with a clinical assessment, including possible allergy and other explanations.
How this test works and how to arrange it →Testing for suspected candidiasis depends on the affected site and clinical context. This tool does not recommend a Candida stool panel for nonspecific bloating. Discuss symptoms with a clinician before choosing a home kit.
How this test works and how to arrange it →Book an allergist appointment and describe the food, timing, and reaction. Skin-prick testing uses a small amount of food extract on the skin; a specific IgE blood test measures antibodies to the suspected food. An allergist may use a supervised oral food challenge to clarify the diagnosis.
How this test works and how to arrange it →Ask your doctor whether you need a colonoscopy, explaining which relative had bowel cancer and their age at diagnosis. If arranged, the clinic provides bowel-cleansing and medication instructions. During the procedure, the doctor can take samples or remove polyps.
How this test works and how to arrange it →
The same symptom can have different causes. Bloating can occur with constipation, food intolerance, IBS, and other conditions. A useful test answers a specific clinical question; the biggest panel is not necessarily the most helpful.
This checker uses the timing of your symptoms, how long they have lasted, and your medical history to choose one first step. A clear dairy pattern points to a different assessment than persistent diarrhea or bowel-related pain. The result prioritizes what to check first; it does not estimate the probability of a disease.
Celiac disease is an immune reaction to gluten that damages the small intestine. It can cause digestive symptoms, anemia, or symptoms outside the gut; some people have few symptoms.
Ask about a celiac blood panel, usually tTG-IgA with total IgA. IgA deficiency changes which antibody tests are useful. Adults may also need an upper endoscopy with small-intestine biopsies.
Do not start a gluten-free diet before discussing testing; it can make results less reliable. If you already avoid gluten, tell your clinician rather than restarting it on your own. A negative test does not always end the evaluation.
Lactose intolerance means difficulty digesting lactose, the sugar in milk, leading to symptoms such as gas, bloating, or diarrhea. It is different from milk allergy.
A clinician may first review your food and symptom pattern or suggest a supervised dietary trial. A lactose hydrogen breath test measures gas after a lactose drink, with symptoms recorded during the test.
A breath result and your symptoms need to be interpreted together. Dairy-related symptoms do not prove lactose intolerance, and a test is not necessary for everyone.
Related reading from Balloon: Digestive enzymes for bloating and dairy triggers.
Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) involves excessive bacteria in the small intestine. It can cause bloating, gas, abdominal discomfort, and diarrhea, but those symptoms have many other causes.
In selected symptomatic people, including those with previous bowel surgery or motility disorders, a clinician may consider a glucose or lactulose hydrogen breath test. Methane measurement may be considered with constipation for intestinal methanogen overgrowth (IMO), a distinct condition.
Breath tests can give false positives and false negatives. Guidelines differ on their usefulness, and the ACG recommendations are conditional with very low-quality evidence. Bloating alone is not a reason for everyone to buy a SIBO kit. Follow the ordering clinician’s preparation instructions; do not stop medicines yourself.
Related reading from Balloon: Why am I always so bloated?.
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a pattern of recurring abdominal pain and changes in bowel movements. It is different from inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
IBS is usually diagnosed from the symptom pattern, medical history, and examination. Targeted blood or stool tests may check for other conditions. There is no single routine blood, stool, or breath test that confirms IBS.
The quiz does not apply full diagnostic criteria or rule out disease. A clinician considers pain frequency, symptom duration, warning signs, and family history. You do not need to wait months to ask for help.
Related reading from Balloon: The low-FODMAP diet and IBS.
Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis are inflammatory bowel diseases. They cause inflammation in the digestive tract and can lead to diarrhea, pain, bleeding, and weight loss.
Evaluation may include blood tests, stool tests for inflammation or infection, colonoscopy with biopsies, and imaging. A fecal calprotectin test can help assess intestinal inflammation but cannot diagnose Crohn’s disease by itself.
Blood in stool, unexplained weight loss, or symptoms waking you at night deserve medical assessment. A family history of bowel cancer also needs its own assessment; an IBD stool test does not replace cancer screening or investigation.
Related reading from Balloon: Digestive issues — when to see a doctor.
Diarrhea lasting at least four weeks is considered chronic. Possible causes include infections, celiac disease, inflammatory conditions, bile acid diarrhea, and medication effects.
For chronic watery diarrhea without alarm features, AGA guidance supports considering fecal calprotectin or lactoferrin, Giardia testing, celiac blood tests, and assessment for bile acid diarrhea. Testing depends on your history and symptoms.
This pathway is not a complete workup for bleeding, weight loss, fat malabsorption, or a significant family history. Those need a broader clinical evaluation. Adults should seek advice promptly for diarrhea lasting more than two days, six or more loose stools a day, or dehydration.
Related reading from Balloon: When to be concerned about persistent diarrhea.
Non-celiac gluten sensitivity describes symptoms attributed to gluten-containing foods after celiac disease and wheat allergy have been excluded. Wheat-related symptoms may also involve other food components.
There is no validated standalone blood test for non-celiac gluten sensitivity. Start by discussing celiac testing and, when the reaction suggests it, wheat allergy assessment. A clinician can guide any dietary trial afterward.
Feeling better without wheat does not establish a diagnosis. Do not remove gluten before planning celiac testing. Never re-challenge a food yourself if you have had an allergic reaction.
Histamine intolerance is a proposed explanation for adverse reactions to ingested histamine. Flushing, headaches, hives, and digestive symptoms are nonspecific and can have other causes.
There is no reliable routine laboratory test that confirms this condition. The specialist guideline says serum diamine oxidase (DAO) measurement has no diagnostic value. Start with a clinical assessment, including possible allergy and other explanations.
Avoid treating a low DAO result as proof or starting broad restrictive diets without support. Breathing difficulty, throat swelling, or fainting after food requires emergency help, not intolerance testing.
Candida is a yeast that normally lives in parts of the body, including the gut. Candidiasis is an infection, not simply the presence of yeast.
Testing for suspected candidiasis depends on the affected site and clinical context. This tool does not recommend a Candida stool panel for nonspecific bloating. Discuss symptoms with a clinician before choosing a home kit.
Some clinician-ordered tests use samples collected at home, but collection location does not establish usefulness. Broad food IgG panels are not recommended for diagnosing food intolerance or allergy. A microbiome report is not a substitute for the targeted diagnostic pathways above.
Hives or swelling soon after eating can be a sign of food allergy. Tests need to be chosen for the suspected food and interpreted alongside the reaction.
Book an allergist appointment and describe the food, timing, and reaction. Skin-prick testing uses a small amount of food extract on the skin; a specific IgE blood test measures antibodies to the suspected food. An allergist may use a supervised oral food challenge to clarify the diagnosis.
A positive test alone does not prove an allergy. Do not try a food challenge at home. Ask the clinic for preparation instructions before changing any medicines.
A colonoscopy uses a flexible camera to look inside the colon and rectum. Doctors use it to investigate symptoms and to screen for bowel cancer.
Ask your doctor whether you need a colonoscopy, explaining which relative had bowel cancer and their age at diagnosis. If arranged, the clinic provides bowel-cleansing and medication instructions. During the procedure, the doctor can take samples or remove polyps.
Family history can mean screening starts earlier. The right test and timing depend on your symptoms, age, and family history; this quiz does not determine that you need a colonoscopy.
Write down when symptoms began, how often they happen, your stool pattern, any food associations, medicines and supplements, recent travel or antibiotics, previous tests, and family history. Tell your clinician about diets you already follow, including avoiding gluten.
You can keep a food and symptom diary or use the poop frequency checker to describe your bowel habits. Do not delay care to collect a longer record.
No. It suggests a first test or assessment to discuss with a clinician. It cannot examine you, interpret lab results, or rule out serious disease, and its routing rules are not a validated medical screening instrument.
It prioritizes medical history, then uses the timing and persistence of your symptoms to suggest a focused next step. Other causes can still coexist. Your clinician may choose a different test or need more than one after a full assessment.
Discuss preparation with the clinician ordering the test. Avoid starting a gluten-free diet before celiac evaluation, and do not change prescribed medication or restart a food that caused an allergic reaction on your own.
Some services provide home collection kits. Ask who orders and interprets the test, which gases and substrate it uses, and what preparation is required. A result needs clinical context; a positive test alone does not explain every symptom.
Sources checked September 30, 2026. These publications inform the explanations and routing rules; their authors and organizations have not reviewed or endorsed this tool. Related Balloon articles are further reading, not the basis for the clinical rules.