# Celiac Disease Testing: Do It Before You Go Gluten-Free **By Paula Gallagher** · 2026-10-21 ![Celiac Disease Testing: Do It Before You Go Gluten-Free](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0319/0960/9603/files/asset-1791298239795.png?v=1791305323) Wondering what celiac disease testing is? Is there anything to get checked before you give up gluten? The answer is simple. Get tested first! Celiac disease testing seeks out the antibodies your body will only produce as long as you keep consuming gluten. Skip the gluten before your blood test, and your results might come back negative, even if you really do have celiac. One mistake like that sends many people into a months-long guessing game. So before you start tossing out the bread, make that appointment. ## Why Testing Comes Before the Gluten Goodbye We hear this one a lot. They've been bloated for months. They cut out gluten, feel a little bit better and now they're like I finally have an answer. Here's the catch. Celiac disease testing at labs measures antibodies your immune system makes in response to gluten. No gluten, no immune response, no antibodies to detect. The test result may show as negative even if celiac disease is present. As one community member put it, get tested for celiac disease and don't go gluten-free until after testing, otherwise the results won't be accurate. You should take chronic bloating seriously. The cause could be something like celiac disease, and by skipping the test and going gluten-free on your own, you’ll never know. Do this in the correct sequence and you’re giving yourself a fighting chance of actually identifying the true problem rather than blindly guessing for a year. As one community member put it: "The single most common mistake people with chronic bloating make is eliminating gluten before getting a blood test, which ruins the accuracy of the screening." ## What Celiac Disease Testing Actually Is Over time, celiac disease causes an autoimmune response to gluten, resulting in inflammation and damage to the inner wall of the small intestine. Doctors perform tests to make sure you actually react to gluten before they tell you to stop eating it for the rest of your life. First-line screening: Blood tests for certain antibodies your body makes in response to gluten exposure. The primary marker is the antibody against tissue transglutaminase (tTG), also known as tTG-IgA. According to the European Society for the Study of Coeliac Disease (ESsCD), tTG-IgA should be the initial test of choice. Often the total IgA is measured along with it because low levels of IgA can affect the test results and another antibody test should be done instead. A positive tTG-IgA result with a low total IgA result would lead to an alternative antibody test, which does not use IgA, such as deamidated gliadin peptide IgG, which is why the total IgA is often included in the blood workup. This is particularly important because celiac disease can be masked if the doctor does not also include the total IgA. ## How Celiac Disease Testing Is Done ![Four-step process flow from blood draw through antibody screening to endoscopy referral and biopsy](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0319/0960/9603/files/slot-body-1-0a14d477.png?v=1791305326) It's not really that difficult, and generally follows a few simple steps. The overarching rule is that you must continue to eat gluten until you’re done with testing. - Blood draw for celiac antibodies (tTG-IgA and total IgA). - A positive or borderline result points to the next step, usually a referral. - An upper endoscopy with a small-intestine biopsy confirms the diagnosis in many cases. - In certain children with very high antibody levels, diagnosis may be made without a biopsy, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. - Also, throughout, you must stay on a diet containing gluten, so that the markers remain visible. ## From Lab Draws to At-Home Testing Kits ![From Lab Draws to At-Home Testing Kits](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0319/0960/9603/files/asset-1791301236623.png?v=1791305331) Still, most testing is performed in a standard lab. You’ll have to see a clinician to get a celiac test ordered, and your blood will be drawn at a phlebotomy station. Home celiac tests are also becoming increasingly available. For example, there’s a simple finger-stick kit that allows you to send a drop of your blood to a lab for testing for antibodies. A home celiac disease testing kit can be a useful first flag. Still, a positive test isn’t a diagnosis. It still has to be verified by your doctor, most likely by blood tests and maybe even a biopsy. If you'd like help making sense of your results, our pharmacists offer a [**lab review consultation**](https://www.myvillagegreen.com/pages/appointment-for-your-lab-review-consultation "https://www.myvillagegreen.com/pages/appointment-for-your-lab-review-consultation") to walk through what the numbers may mean for you. ## Testing Kits for Kids Parents will ask about this all the time when their child is experiencing failure to thrive, abdominal pain, and/or intractable bloating. A celiac disease testing kit for kids works on the same principle: a blood sample screened for gluten-triggered antibodies. European Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition guidelines say that pediatric cases with extremely high antibody levels may not require a biopsy. It's a call that should be made by your child's doctor. Just like for an adult, it is best to keep the child on a normal gluten-containing diet until testing is complete, because a false-negative screening test is possible. ## What Celiac Disease Testing Costs Celiac disease testing cost depends on where it's done and what's included. If you have a basic antibody blood test run through a lab with documented symptoms, many times insurance will cover this test. At-home kits are typically paid out of pocket and usually cost less than a full lab-and-biopsy workup. Then there are the confirmatory tests, like an endoscopy, which add to the bill. Verify your insurance coverage ahead of time to avoid unpleasant surprises. The most expensive error isn’t the price of the test. It’s doing a gluten-free diet, receiving a false-negative result, and then spending the rest of your life guessing at the cause of your problems. ## Key Takeaways - Get tested for celiac disease before you cut out gluten, or the results may be falsely negative. - Testing begins with a basic blood test that screens for the presence of gluten-driven antibodies. - The chronic bloating might have a cause, like celiac disease, that tests could find out. - There are home kits, but you still need to have a positive test confirmed by your doctor. - Continue consuming gluten until your tests have been done. Then consult with a healthcare professional for further guidance. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What is celiac disease testing What is Celiac Disease Testing? Celiac disease is an autoimmune response to gluten that can harm the small intestine. Your doctor will start with a blood test to look for specific antibodies, including tissue transglutaminase IgA. These are antibodies that your body produces only when you eat gluten. If your blood tests show positive or borderline results, your doctor will likely recommend an upper endoscopy to get a biopsy from your small intestine for further analysis. Don't stop eating gluten before getting tested! You must continue to eat gluten in order to receive an accurate test result. ### How celiac disease testing is done This typically starts with a blood test that looks for celiac antibodies, along with a test for total immunoglobulin A (IgA). If these results come back abnormal, your healthcare provider will likely schedule an upper endoscopy and biopsy of the small intestine. In certain cases, usually in children with extremely high celiac antibody levels, you may not need a biopsy to be diagnosed. It’s important that you continue eating gluten during testing to keep your celiac antibodies elevated enough for detection. **Tags:** celiac disease testing cost, celiac disease testing kit, celiac disease testing kit for kids, celiac disease testing labs, how celiac disease testing is done, what is celiac disease testing --- > Source: [Village Green Apothecary](https://myvillagegreen.com/blogs/post/what-is-celiac-disease-testing)