GI-MAP gut testing, read with you.
A DNA-based stool panel that looks for what is actually going on in your gut — one sample, collected at home, and a scheduled results visit after the report is in. For Lakeway, Bee Cave & greater Austin.
What the GI-MAP is.
Some patients do everything right and still feel wrong. The hormones are optimized, the labs look reasonable, the diet is clean — and there is still bloating after meals, energy that drops off a cliff at 2pm, weight that will not move, or skin that flares for no reason anyone can name. When that happens, the gut is often the part of the picture nobody has actually looked at.
The GI-MAP is a stool test that uses quantitative PCR — DNA analysis — rather than older culture-based methods. Instead of waiting to see what grows in a dish, it identifies and measures the genetic material of what is present. That makes it far better at picking up organisms that are difficult or impossible to culture.
- iDNA-based. Quantitative PCR measures what is actually there, not just what will grow in a dish.
- iiOne sample, at home. A single stool sample, no refrigeration required. Most kits drop-ship; a few are kept in office for existing patients.
- iiiRead by a provider. Results are emailed, then we book a 30-minute results visit. That visit is priced separately from the kit.
What the panel actually measures.
One sample, collected at home, no refrigeration required — and a great deal more information than a standard stool culture returns.
- Pathogens — bacterial, parasitic, and viral organisms associated with GI illness
- The commensal microbiome — the beneficial bacteria that should be there, and whether they are
- Opportunistic overgrowth — organisms that cause trouble when the balance tips
- Fungi and yeast, including Candida species
- Intestinal health markers — including markers associated with inflammation, immune activity, digestive enzyme sufficiency, and gut barrier integrity
- Antibiotic resistance genes — which can change what treatment makes sense
Why the interpretation matters more than the test
You can order a gut panel online. What you generally cannot get is someone to tell you what it means for you.
A GI-MAP report runs to many pages of markers, and a marker sitting outside a reference range is not automatically a problem that needs treating. The value is in reading the pattern — against your symptoms, your history, your hormones, and your medications — and deciding what is actually worth acting on. A result without that conversation is a PDF that makes people anxious.
From kit to results visit.
New patients do not need a visit first. Order the kit, pay online, collect at home — then we review the report with you.
Order
Choose GI-MAP or GI-MAP + Zonulin. Online payment is required before we ship. New patients do not need a visit first.
- GI-MAP or GI-MAP + Zonulin only
- Online payment required
- Full kit cost up front
- No visit required to start
Collect
Most kits drop-ship to your door. A few are kept in office for existing patients. Collection instructions are in the kit.
- Drop-ship in most cases
- In-office kits for some existing patients
- Single sample, collected at home
- No refrigeration needed
Review
The laboratory turnaround is 7–10 business days. Results are emailed, then our team calls to establish and book a 30-minute results visit in 10–14 days.
- 7–10 business day lab turnaround
- Results emailed to you
- We call to book the 30-min visit
- Visit priced separately from the kit
When the story does not add up.
We consider a GI-MAP when the rest of the picture has been addressed and something still is not right. Common reasons:
- Bloating, gas, or irregular bowel habits that have become normal
- Fatigue that has not responded to hormone or thyroid optimization
- Weight that will not move despite a genuinely good plan
- Skin issues — acne, eczema, rosacea — with no clear dermatologic cause
- Food reactions that seem to be multiplying
- Autoimmune conditions, where gut barrier function is part of the conversation
- A history of repeated antibiotics, travel illness, or significant GI infection
How it fits with everything else
Gut health is not a separate department. Absorption affects every nutrient your hormones depend on. Inflammation affects how you feel regardless of how good your levels look. Patients on hormone therapy, in medical weight loss, or on peptide therapy sometimes plateau for reasons that turn out to be sitting in the gut. When that is the case, this is how we find out — instead of guessing.
What it costs
$399 for the GI-MAP kit and lab processing. GI-MAP + Zonulin is $463. Those are the only two options on this page. Online payment is required before we ship. The kit price does not include the 30-minute results visit — that visit is scheduled separately and priced at the visit. THRIVE is a cash-pay practice, and we will tell you the full cost before you commit to anything.
The THRIVE difference
Boutique, unhurried care from Kristine Kjolhede, FNP-C with physician supervision — not a direct-to-consumer kit with a PDF at the end. New patients can start without a visit. After the report is emailed, we call to establish and book the results visit so someone is responsible for acting on the result, for patients across Lakeway, Bee Cave, Lake Travis, and greater Austin.
GI-MAP, answered.
Straight answers from our provider. If your question isn’t here, we’ll cover it in a consultation.
Ask KristineGut testing, rooted in Lakeway.
Our Lakeway clinic at the edge of Lake Travis serves Bee Cave, Westlake, Spicewood, and greater Austin. Most kits drop-ship. The 30-minute results visit is booked after your report is emailed, during clinic hours: Tuesday–Thursday 9am–6pm in office. Friday–Monday closed.
Ready to find out what is actually going on?
New patients do not need a visit first. Contact the clinic to order GI-MAP or GI-MAP + Zonulin, complete online payment, and we will drop-ship the kit in most cases.
Order a GI-MAP KitThis page is for educational purposes and is not medical advice, a diagnosis, or a treatment recommendation. Functional laboratory testing supports clinical decision-making; it does not replace it. Whether this panel is appropriate for you is a decision made with a licensed provider. Individual results vary.
