IBS or IBD? What’s the difference & how do you test?

You’ve been told it’s IBS. Maybe you’ve had tests done. Maybe you’ve even had a colonoscopy that came back “clear.” And then… you’re sent home and told to manage it. But if you’re still dealing with bloating, urgency, diarrhea, constipation, or pain — and no one has properly explained what’s going on — something isn’t adding up.

Because IBS and IBD get confused all the time. And when that happens, women either get over-medicalised… or completely dismissed. Same symptoms. Completely different problems. And that’s where things start to fall apart.

Because here’s the reality. The symptoms overlap — cramping, bloating, bowel changes, food reactions, fatigue. So it’s easy to assume it’s “just IBS,” especially when nothing serious shows up on initial testing. But let’s be clear.

IBS is not a diagnosis.
IBD is.

One is a structural, inflammatory disease. The other is a label for symptoms when no one has found the cause. Big difference.

Today’s episode breaks down what IBS actually means, what IBD actually is, why they get confused, and what testing should be done if you actually want answers — not just another label.

In this episode, we cover:

• IBD (Inflammatory Bowel Disease): What conditions like Crohn’s and ulcerative colitis actually involve, how inflammation damages the gut lining, and why proper diagnosis requires colonoscopy and biopsy.

• Key Inflammatory Markers: How tools like faecal calprotectin, CRP, ESR, and blood markers help identify inflammation and distinguish IBD from IBS.

• The IBS Label Problem: Why IBS tells you what is happening — your gut is irritated — but tells you nothing about why.

• What Gets Missed in Standard Testing: Why colonoscopies don’t show bacterial overgrowth, parasites, stomach acid issues, or microbiome imbalances.

• SIBO and IMO: How bacterial overgrowth in the small intestine drives bloating, gas, constipation or diarrhoea — and why it requires specific breath testing.

• Parasites and H. pylori: Why these are more common than you think, often missed, and can quietly drive chronic gut symptoms.

• Dysbiosis and the Microbiome: How imbalances in your gut bacteria affect digestion, immunity, and overall health — and why you need proper mapping to see it.

• What to Test Next: The functional tests that actually give you answers — not guesses.

You’re not confused because this is complicated. You’re confused because the explanation you were given was incomplete. You don’t need to keep guessing whether it’s IBS or something more serious. You need to understand what has been ruled out — and what hasn’t even been looked at yet. Your symptoms are not random. This isn’t “just your gut being sensitive.”

And it’s not something you have to manage forever.

Your gut isn’t broken. It just hasn’t been properly investigated.

LINKS TO SHERADYN:

• Assess your gut health in 3min HERE
• Follow me on Instagram HERE. 
• Join my Private Gut Health Facebook group HERE.
• Book a Free Gut Health Planning Session HERE.