IBS is a label, not a diagnosis. It describes a set of symptoms without explaining what is causing them. If you have been told it is just IBS, the conversation should really be starting there, not ending there.
The things women are told about their gut that deserve a second look
Gut symptoms are some of the most dismissed in conventional medicine. If you have spent years managing rather than understanding what is going on, you are not alone.
"You just have IBS, try to manage your stress"
IBS is one of the most overused labels in medicine. It tells you that your digestive system is not working properly, but nothing about why. Stress can make gut symptoms worse, but it rarely causes them from nothing. Bloating, unpredictable bowel habits, cramping and pain almost always have an underlying driver. That driver can be found. Telling someone to manage their stress and sending them away is not investigation, it is avoidance.
"You didn't just develop IBS out of nowhere"
Gut problems do not appear randomly. They are usually triggered by something. A course of antibiotics that disrupted the microbiome. A bout of food poisoning that changed how the gut functions. A period of prolonged stress that altered gut motility. A dietary shift that allowed certain bacteria to overgrow. Understanding what started things, and what is maintaining them now, is the difference between guessing and actually resolving the problem.
"Just cut out gluten and dairy and see how you feel"
Elimination diets can provide temporary relief, but they rarely get to the root of why certain foods cause problems in the first place. Food intolerances and sensitivities are often a symptom of an underlying gut issue rather than a cause. If your gut lining is damaged, or your microbiome is out of balance, or you have an overgrowth of certain bacteria, many foods will cause problems regardless of which ones you cut out. The goal should be fixing the gut, not shrinking your diet indefinitely.
"Your gut symptoms and your other symptoms are not connected"
The gut is not an isolated system. It communicates directly with the brain, the immune system, and the endocrine system. Poor gut health affects hormone clearance, mood, energy, skin, and immune function. Women with conditions like PCOS/PMOS, endometriosis, or thyroid problems often have gut dysfunction running alongside them, and addressing one without the other limits how much progress is possible. If your gut symptoms have always sat alongside other health complaints, that connection is worth exploring properly.
What you might be experiencing
Symptoms that deserve a proper explanation
Bloating
Cramping
Constipation
Diarrhoea
Alternating bowels
Acid reflux
Nausea
Food intolerances
Fatigue after eating
Brain fog
Low mood
Skin breakouts
Poor immunity
Undigested food
Excessive wind
Urgency
The GI MAP test
What the GI MAP actually looks at
The GI MAP is a comprehensive stool test that uses DNA analysis to identify exactly what is living in your gut and how your gut is functioning. It is the most detailed picture of gut health available outside of a clinical setting, and it turns vague gut symptoms into specific, actionable information.
Pathogens and infections
The GI MAP screens for bacterial pathogens, parasites, and viruses that cause gut dysfunction. H. pylori, a bacteria linked to gastritis, reflux, and ulcers, is tested in detail along with its virulence factors. Many people carry gut infections for years without knowing, and they maintain gut symptoms indefinitely until they are treated.
Microbiome balance
The test maps the balance of beneficial bacteria, commensal organisms, and opportunistic bacteria in your gut. Overgrowths of certain bacteria or fungi like Candida can drive bloating, food sensitivities, and systemic symptoms. Low levels of key beneficial species like Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium are associated with poor immunity, low mood, and hormonal imbalance.
Gut function markers
Beyond what is living in the gut, the GI MAP also measures how the gut is functioning. Markers for intestinal permeability, digestive enzyme output, immune activation, and inflammation give a picture of the gut environment itself. This is often where the explanation for long-standing food sensitivities and fatigue after eating is found.
The RE+BALANCE GI MAP Test
Stop managing your gut. Start understanding it.
The GI MAP Complete is an at-home stool test that gives a detailed DNA analysis of your gut microbiome, pathogens, and gut function markers. Results are reviewed by our clinical team and discussed with you in a one-to-one call, so you leave knowing exactly what is going on and what to do about it.
H. pylori and virulence factorsBacterial pathogensParasitesFungi and yeastMicrobiome diversityIntestinal permeabilityDigestive enzymesGut immune markersInflammation markers
At-home stool collection kit · Results reviewed by our clinical team · One-to-one results call included
Common questions
Things people usually want to know
Yes, and this is exactly the situation the GI MAP is most useful for. An IBS diagnosis means your symptoms have been acknowledged but not investigated. The GI MAP looks for the things that commonly sit behind an IBS presentation: bacterial overgrowths, parasites, H. pylori, low beneficial bacteria, intestinal permeability, and poor digestive function. In most cases, one or more of these is present. Knowing what they are means you have something specific to address rather than continuing to manage symptoms indefinitely.
Often yes. Food intolerances are frequently a symptom of gut dysfunction rather than a problem with the foods themselves. When the gut lining is compromised, when digestion is incomplete, or when certain bacteria are overgrowing, many foods become difficult to tolerate. The GI MAP identifies the underlying conditions that create food sensitivity. Addressing those conditions often reduces or resolves intolerances over time, which means you can rebuild your diet rather than continuing to restrict it.
The gut plays a direct role in hormone regulation. A specific group of gut bacteria called the estrobolome is responsible for metabolising and clearing oestrogen from the body. When these bacteria are out of balance, oestrogen can be reabsorbed rather than excreted, which contributes to oestrogen dominance and worsens conditions like endometriosis and PCOS/PMOS. The gut also affects cortisol, thyroid hormone conversion, and the production of neurotransmitters like serotonin, around 90 percent of which is made in the gut. Poor gut health and hormonal imbalance are rarely separate problems.
You receive a collection kit by post with clear instructions. The test requires a single stool sample which you collect at home and post back to the lab in the prepaid packaging provided. Results are typically returned within two to three weeks. Once ready, we book a one-to-one review call to go through your results and build a plan based on what the test shows.
Yes. Probiotics support the gut but they do not tell you what is actually living there or how the gut is functioning. The GI MAP will show whether the strains you are taking are making a difference, whether there are other imbalances that need addressing, and whether there are any underlying issues that probiotics alone will not resolve. Many people find they have been taking the wrong strains for their specific situation, or that there is an overgrowth or infection present that needs a different approach first.
