SIBO Diagnostic Process: A Step-by-Step Guide to How Doctors Diagnose SIBO

Understanding the sibo diagnostic process starts with your clinician collecting a detailed medical history and symptoms, then outlining the step-by-step approach to confirm or rule out SIBO. In the sibo diagnostic process, doctors look for bloating, gas, abdominal pain, altered bowel habits, and risk factors such as prior GI surgery or motility issues. A physical exam and screening for other conditions that mimic SIBO (like lactose intolerance or celiac disease) help narrow down the causes. Once the initial assessment is complete, your care team explains what tests to expect and why they’re necessary, so you’re prepared for each stage. A central component of the sibo diagnostic process is breath testing. Before the test, you’ll typically need to fast and avoid certain medications and foods that can affect results. The most common options are the glucose breath test and the lactulose breath test, which measure hydrogen and methane in your breath produced by gut bacteria. Interpreting the results depends on the pattern and timing of gas production: early rises or elevated hydrogen or methane can indicate small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, while normal results don’t completely rule it out. Your clinician will explain how to interpret your specific results and what they mean for treatment or further testing, if needed. In addition to breath tests, labs and imaging may play a supporting role in the sibo diagnostic process. Blood tests can help rule out other conditions and assess nutrient status (for example, CBC, ferritin, B12, thyroid markers, and inflammatory markers). Stool tests or fecal fat tests may be considered if malabsorption or inflammation is suspected, and imaging like ultrasound or CT enterography can be used to exclude structural causes when symptoms persist. In some cases, a small bowel aspirate is considered the gold standard, but it is rarely required in routine clinical practice. After this stage, your care team will review all results and discuss next steps, which may include targeted antibiotics, dietary changes, and follow-up testing to confirm resolution. InnerBuddies can support you through the sibo diagnostic process by providing a robust, consumer-friendly view of gut health that complements standard medical testing. As a white-label Gut Health Operating System, InnerBuddies powers a range of gut microbiome testing products with features like the Gut Microbiome Health Index (a 0–100 score derived from an exclusive partnership with EAFIT University in Colombia), plus detailed insights into Bacteria abundances and Bacteria functions. These data layers help you understand where you stand relative to a healthy cohort and track functional pathways that matter for overall gut health. Learn more about a practical, at-home microbiome assessment with InnerBuddies’ solutions through the InnerBuddies microbiome test. The platform also offers Target Group analysis for focused insights—whether you’re pursuing Healthy Aging, Endurance Sport, or Skin & Hair Health—so you can see how your gut microbiome supports different lifestyle goals. With personalized nutrition advice and tailored probiotic/prebiotic recommendations, InnerBuddies helps translate test results into concrete actions you can take alongside medical care. If you’re exploring ongoing gut health support, consider expanding your plan with a subscription, which provides ongoing guidance and updates, via the InnerBuddies Gut Health Membership. For businesses or clinics interested in white-label partnerships, the InnerBuddies B2B program outlines how to integrate these capabilities into your own product lineup.