"After giving birth 18 months earlier, I put my symptoms down to a hormone imbalance, particularly due to the fatigue I was experiencing daily. I originally tried a hormone blood test, but everything came back fine. The test identified that my gut diversity needed to be improved as I had a score of 4.3 out of 10. My energy levels, bloating and constipation have improved 10 fold after just 4 weeks of sticking to my plan. Upon retesting after 3 months of following my plan, my gut diversity was in excess of 7.
Judging by my reduction in symptoms, the report has nailed it"
Hi Tally, can you start by describing what led you to suspect that you might be dealing with IBS?
Tally: I gave birth 18 months ago, tiredness and a couple of symptoms such as constipation and bloating started appearing during pregnancy, but I put this down to my hormones being all over the place. My symptoms continued long after giving birth, again I assumed this was down to my hormones. A hormone blood test confirmed that my hormones were absolutely fine. Naturally I started to google search my symptoms and IBS seemed to be the closest match.
What was your first approach to managing these symptoms?
Tally: I tried keeping a food diary, I couldn't quite stay on top of it and I also struggled to pinpoint trigger foods which led me to think that it was an overall lifestyle issue rather than individual foods. I managed to spot a couple of foods that seemed to trigger my symptoms, alcohol was a trigger and also bread, but that's as much as I could identify.
When did you decide to try gut microbiome testing, and what motivated that decision?
Tally: I reached a point where I was tired of guessing. I was talking to a friend who had also struggled with symptoms too, they had actually done a food intolerance test and it was whilst I was looking for a food intolerance test that I came across the gut microbiome test which seemed like the better test for me.
Once you decided to go for it, what was your experience with the testing process?
Tally: In total it took around 3 weeks for me to get my results, the test itself was easy, I just had to swab a piece of toilet tissue, mix it with the liquid and then send it off. Thankfully this test didn't include having to send an actual piece of poo, it was just a swab.
How did you feel about the results and the personalised plan?
Tally: The report was really detailed and thankfully explained every score in a way that I understood it. It also identified a low diversity score of 4.3 out of 10. The part I found most interesting was the food report, I was borderline lactose intolerant and some of the foods it told me to avoid we're foods that I know trigger some of my symptoms.
How soon did you start noticing changes after implementing the plan?
Tally: It was gradual, but within the first couple of weeks, I started to feel a difference. The first thing I noticed was improved bowel movements, which also helped my bloating. I noticed that I was sleeping better, managing to sleep all through the night which massively helped my energy levels in the day.
Upon retesting after 3 months of following my plan, my gut diversity was in excess of 7 having originally being scored 4.3
Was there a particular aspect of the plan that you found most beneficial?
Tally: How personalised it was, especially having just had a baby, there is a lot of conflicting information out there about diets to rebalance your hormones, different supplements and different foods to eat and not eat. The foods in my plan are personal to me, they are exactly what my body needed, and judging by the reduction in my symptoms, the report has nailed it.
Would you recommend the test to others?
Tally: Definitely, but I'd also say to do a bit of your own homework and research too. I did a hormone blood test before taking the gut microbiome test as I had just given birth, knowing that my hormones were okay then led me down the path of a gut microbiome test, and thankfully for me, it's what has helped with my symptoms.
