Testing for SIBO is possible through a breath test that checks for hydrogen and methane gases. These gasses are made by the overgrowth of bacteria in your small intestine, and wouldn’t otherwise be there. The gasses are absorbed through the gut walls into the blood stream and exhaled in your breath.
A stool test may be helpful in some cases to show which bacteria are in the large intestine although it’s not diagnostic for SIBO, because that’s the small intestine.
I can arrange for a SIBO breath test, or a stool test to be carried out for you as part of the Gut Reset. I often wait until after our initial consultation to consider testing, because sometimes tests aren’t necessary. If you can make improvements to diet and lifestyle that improves your symptoms I don’t want you to pay for tests you don’t need.
The symptoms of SIBO are similar to those of other gastrointestinal disorders such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), Inflammatory Bowel Disease and coeliac disease. This means it’s important to get your doctor to rule out other conditions.