Comprehensive Stool Test (GI-MAP)

Yes. The GI-MAP is an at-home stool test. You order online, the kit arrives by courier, you collect one small sample at home and the prepaid return takes it to the lab. There is no GP referral and no clinic visit. We send kits to any UK address, and international delivery is priced at checkout.

Yes. The GI-MAP is suitable for children from 2 years of age, where a more detailed assessment of gut health and the gut microbiome is appropriate. If you are unsure whether it is the right test for your child, book a free Discovery Call and a registered practitioner will help you decide.

The GI-MAP covers the gut itself: pathogens, parasites, H. pylori, your microbiome, digestion and inflammation. The GI-MAP + Zonulin adds zonulin, the marker of intestinal permeability (leaky gut). Choose the GI-MAP with zonulin when symptoms reach beyond the gut, such as skin flare-ups, fatigue or inflammatory and autoimmune conditions; choose the GI-MAP when the symptoms are digestive.

It can be. Gut imbalances and infections often show up outside the gut, as fatigue, brain fog, skin problems or low mood. If your symptoms are ongoing and standard tests have come back clear or inconclusive, the GI-MAP looks where they do not. Where leaky gut is the question, the GI-MAP + Zonulin is the better choice.

The GI-MAP is made by one laboratory, Diagnostic Solutions Laboratory, and analysed by quantitative PCR (qPCR), which detects the DNA of each organism and measures how much is present. That measurement is what lets a practitioner tell a trace from an active infection, and it is the difference between a clinical test and a standard consumer microbiome kit, which uses sequencing to report relative abundance. If a test is not from Diagnostic Solutions Laboratory, it is not the GI-MAP. Like any lab test, the report is a snapshot, which is why a practitioner reads it against your symptoms and history.

No. The NHS does not offer the GI-MAP or comprehensive gut microbiome testing; NHS stool tests look for specific infections or blood. The GI-MAP is a private test ordered through a clinic. The price covers the kit, the lab analysis and your lab report; having the report interpreted is a separate, optional consultation.

On a Sunday or Monday. The sample must be shipped within 24 hours of collection and DHL does not collect at weekends, so collect on Sunday or Monday and book your free DHL collection for the next day. Keep the packed envelope in the fridge until the driver arrives. Full instructions are in the kit.

Your kit includes full collection instructions. To make your sample as representative as possible, please note the following before you collect it.

• Allow at least 2 weeks after finishing a course of antibiotics, antifungals, antiparasitic treatments or other antimicrobial protocols.
• Stop probiotic supplements 2 weeks before collection.
• Stop non-essential prebiotics and other gut-support supplements 7 days before collection.
• Stop digestive enzymes, betaine HCl, antacids, activated charcoal and bentonite clay 3 days before collection.
• If you have recently had a colonoscopy or barium enema, wait at least 4 weeks.
• Do not collect during menstruation or while you have active bleeding from haemorrhoids.
• If constipation makes collection difficult, contact us for advice before using laxatives, enemas or suppositories.

Never stop prescribed medication without first consulting your doctor or prescriber. If you take a proton pump inhibitor (PPI) or another prescribed medication that may affect the gut environment, or you are unsure whether anything you take could affect your results, contact us before collecting your sample and we will advise you.

Yes. Book a Lab Findings Review with us and a registered nutritional therapist will take you through every marker against your symptoms and history, whether you tested with us or elsewhere; bring your report to the session. If you then want a personalised plan, that is the Comprehensive Consultation.