This short assessment looks for patterns across several common gut-problem families. It is not a diagnosis. Before we start — what would make this useful for you today? Choose one or two. This does not change your score; it helps us understand what people actually need from FixMyGuts. Understand what might be causing my symptoms Work out whether my current diagnosis really explains things Understand which tests might actually be useful Know what I could reasonably do next Decide whether I need medical or practitioner help I’m mainly exploring / curious Q1. How old are you? Common core Q2. How long have your current digestive problems been present? Common core Choose… Less than 4 weeks 1–3 months 3–6 months 6–12 months 1–5 years More than 5 years Q3. Which of these have been significant problems for you recently? Select all that apply. If pain or burning is a problem, compare the three “Pain —” choices carefully — location is important. Common core Pain — Heartburn / reflux-type burning — burning behind the breastbone or in the chest, sometimes rising toward the throat Pain — Upper-middle abdominal pain or burning — pain, burning, gnawing or aching in the upper centre of the abdomen, below the lower end of the breastbone/ribs Pain — Other abdominal pain, cramping or discomfort — pain or discomfort elsewhere in the abdomen, such as around the navel, lower abdomen or sides Food or acidic fluid coming back up into the throat/mouth Feeling unusually full after eating Getting full much sooner than expected Nausea Vomiting Bloating, visible distension or excessive gas Constipation / difficult or infrequent bowel movements Diarrhoea / loose or watery bowel movements Difficulty emptying the bowel even when stool is present None of these A1. How often do you have this other abdominal pain, cramping or discomfort? Abdominal pain branch Choose… Never Less than 1 day per month 1–2 days per month 3–7 days per month 2–4 days per week Most days A2. When this abdominal pain or discomfort occurs, which patterns are usually true? Select all that apply. Abdominal pain branch It changes after I open my bowels — usually better It changes after I open my bowels — usually worse It tends to occur when I am opening my bowels more or less often than usual It tends to occur when my stool becomes harder or looser than usual It tends to build with bloating, distension or gas It commonly follows meals There is no clear relationship to bowel movements or stool changes A3. Where is this abdominal pain usually strongest? Choose the area that best represents where the pain is usually centred. Abdominal pain branch Upper right — under the right ribs Upper centre — below the breastbone Upper left — under the left ribs Middle right side Centre — around the navel Middle left side Lower right Lower centre / pelvic area Lower left Widespread across much of the abdomen Moves around / location varies Difficult to localise Q4. On average, how often do you open your bowels? Common core Choose… More than 3 times per day 2–3 times per day About once per day 4–6 times per week 1–3 times per week Less than once per week Q5. Which description best matches your usual stool? Common core Hard/lumpy — separate hard pieces or a hard/lumpy stool Firm and formed Soft and formed Unformed/mushy — soft stool with no real shape; tends to form a pile Loose/semi-liquid — very loose stool that spreads or forms a puddle Watery — entirely liquid, with little or no solid material It commonly alternates between hard/constipated and loose/watery Q6. How often do you have to rush to the toilet because a bowel movement feels difficult to delay? Common core Choose… Never Occasionally About weekly Several times per week Most days Q7. If you experience bloating, visible swelling or excessive gas, when is it most noticeable? Select all that apply. Common core Soon after eating Builds over several hours after meals Gets progressively worse through the day Improves after opening my bowels or passing gas Present most of the time, including between meals Often present on waking / before eating No consistent pattern I do not have significant bloating/distension/gas Q8. Do particular foods or drinks reliably trigger your digestive symptoms? Common core Choose… No clear food triggers Yes — usually within 1 hour Yes — usually 1–4 hours later Yes — usually 4–12 hours later Yes — usually later the same day or next day Yes, but timing varies / I am unsure Q9. How much do stress, anxiety, excitement or other strong emotions affect your digestive symptoms? Common core Choose… Not noticeably A little Moderately Strongly Very strongly / one of my main triggers Q10. Have any of the following applied to you? Select all that apply. Common core Gallbladder removed Disease or surgery involving the terminal ileum / end of the small bowel Abdominal or pelvic radiotherapy Previous stomach or upper-digestive surgery Diabetes Repeated or prolonged courses of antibiotics My current digestive problems began during or soon after gastroenteritis / a stomach bug / food poisoning My current digestive problems began during or soon after another significant viral illness (for example COVID-19 or glandular fever / EBV) Recurrent oral, vaginal or other candidiasis/thrush Immunosuppressive treatment or significant immune suppression A first-degree relative with coeliac disease An autoimmune condition such as type 1 diabetes or autoimmune thyroid disease Unexplained iron-deficiency anaemia or another unexplained nutrient deficiency Previously positive SIBO breath test (hydrogen or reported as SIBO) Previously elevated methane / IMO breath test Previously diagnosed coeliac disease Previously tested for coeliac disease and told it was negative Previous H. pylori infection or peptic ulcer None / unsure Q11. Are any of these happening now or have they happened recently without a clear explanation? Select all that apply. Common core Blood in the stool or black/tarry stool Significant unintended weight loss Swallowing becoming progressively more difficult Frequent or persistent vomiting Known significant anaemia Fever associated with ongoing digestive symptoms Diarrhoea that regularly wakes me from sleep Oily/greasy, very pale or difficult-to-flush stools together with weight loss or nutritional problems None of these U1. How often do you experience heartburn and/or food or acidic fluid coming back up? Upper GI branch Choose… Never Less than weekly 1–2 days per week 3–5 days per week Most days U2. If reflux-type symptoms occur, which are commonly true? Select all that apply. Upper GI branch I do not have reflux-type symptoms Worse after meals Worse when lying down or during sleep Worse when bending over Wake me from sleep No clear pattern U3. How often do you feel uncomfortably full after an ordinary meal or get full so quickly that you cannot finish a normal-sized meal? Upper GI branch Choose… Never Occasionally About weekly Several times per week Most days U4. How often do you have pain or burning centred in the upper middle abdomen, below the breastbone? Upper GI branch Choose… Never Occasionally About weekly Several times per week Most days U5. Which of these apply? Select all that apply. Upper GI branch Frequent nausea after meals Vomiting after meals Vomiting food several hours after eating / food seems to remain in the stomach unusually long Marked loss of appetite because of prolonged fullness None of these C1. When you try to open your bowels, how often do you have any of these? Select all that occur at least sometimes. Constipation / evacuation branch Strong or prolonged straining Feeling that I have not emptied properly Feeling that stool is blocked or will not come out Needing to press around the anus/perineum or vagina, or use a finger, to help stool pass None of these C2. When your stool is reasonably soft, is it still difficult to get it out or feel completely empty? Constipation / evacuation branch Choose… No / rarely Sometimes Often Usually C3. Which statement fits best? Constipation / evacuation branch I often feel the urge but cannot empty properly I can go for long periods with little or no urge to open my bowels Both happen Neither / unsure D1. On a typical symptomatic day, how many loose or watery bowel movements do you have? Diarrhoea branch Choose… None 1 2–3 4–6 More than 6 D2. How often do loose stools or urgency occur soon after eating? Diarrhoea branch Choose… Never Occasionally About half the time Most of the time D3. Does diarrhoea wake you from sleep and require a bowel movement? Diarrhoea branch Choose… Never Rarely Sometimes Often D4. Do you frequently have stools that are unusually oily/greasy, very pale, floating and difficult to flush? Diarrhoea branch Choose… No Occasionally Often Unsure F1. What best describes your experience with foods containing wheat or gluten? Food / immune reactivity branch Choose… No clear relationship They often trigger digestive symptoms I improve when avoiding them and symptoms return when I eat them again I currently avoid gluten/wheat, so I cannot judge normally Unsure F2. Are you currently eating normal amounts of gluten-containing foods such as ordinary bread or pasta? Food / immune reactivity branch Choose… Yes, regularly Small amounts only Rarely / almost completely gluten-free Completely gluten-free Unsure F3. Do you have eczema, hay fever/allergic rhinitis or asthma, or do foods sometimes trigger digestive symptoms together with symptoms such as flushing, itching/hives, nasal symptoms, headache or palpitations? Food / immune reactivity branch Choose… Neither Atopy only Multisystem food reactions only Both Unsure F4. Do you have specific foods that repeatedly cause symptoms several hours later or the next day, improve when avoided, and tend to cause similar symptoms again when reintroduced? Food / immune reactivity branch Choose… No Possibly Yes, one or two foods Yes, several foods F5. Which food groups reliably trigger bloating, gas, abdominal discomfort or diarrhoea for you? Select all that apply. Food / immune reactivity branch Onion / garlic / large amounts of wheat-based foods Beans / chickpeas / lentils Milk or other lactose-rich dairy Some fruits, fruit juice or honey Sugar-free sweets/gum or foods containing polyol sweeteners Several of these groups None / unsure A quick privacy note Your answers include health information. We store them to create this assessment and to help improve FixMyGuts. You do not need to give us your name or email to see your result. I understand that my answers will be stored for this assessment, and that FixMyGuts provides pattern-matching information rather than a diagnosis or emergency medical service. Privacy policy. If symptoms are severe, rapidly worsening or may represent an emergency, seek urgent medical care rather than relying on this assessment. Generate my result