Everlywell Review: How Do These At-Home Blood Tests Work?

Everlywell is one of the best-known at-home health testing companies in the US. They offer an extensive list of tests that cover different aspects of men’s and women’s health (including a full hormone panel, fertility testing, heavy metal testing, and 30 others).

While you can ALWAYS ask your doctor to run blood work, I’ve started to rely on blood testing outside their office for a few reasons:

• It’s convenient to do this at home
• I’ve found some doctor’s resistant to ordering blood work when requested
• Sometimes I just want to check in on past data to see if things are improving or not (i.e. hormones!)

Knowing that at-home testing can feel a little confusing and it’s different, I wanted to break down these tests and discuss their accuracy and usefulness to you when looking for a test.

What is Everlywell?

Everlywell is a health testing company that was founded in the year 2015 and is headquartered in Austin, Texas. The company has a deep line up on its Scientific Advisory Board, including scientists from Harvard, MIT, Google, and NYU.

The company sends in-home testing kits straight to the customers. Customers can take their own samples with the offered supplies and send them in with the prepaid expedited packaging.

The test kits offered by Everlywell cover a variety of health areas, including food sensitivities, hormone levels, metabolism, sexual health, fertility, vitamin D deficiency, thyroid function, cholesterol, and more.

Each kit contains detailed instructions and the necessary materials for collecting a sample, such as blood, urine, or saliva, which is then sent to the partnered lab for analysis.

After sending the sample, customers can view their results online through Everlywell’s secure platform. Currently it offers more than 30 different tests in different areas such as general wellness, women’s health, men’s health, energy and weight, and sexual health.

Also, all testing is done by a board-certified physician and uses the best science available to make sure the tests are of the highest quality

The Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) regulate the labs that process EverlyWell’s testing.

EverlyWell complies with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) and allows for discrete testing.

EverlyWell wants to help people take charge of their health by giving them information that is as good or even better than what you would get at a doctor’s office. They sell tests that screen for sexually transmitted infections, hormone levels, and blood sugar, among others.

Everylwell Review

As noted, I’ve actually purchased 5 tests previously from Everlywell because I found the data/results to be useful and easy to access.

For us, they’ve been a great tool to check in on things that were not major health issues, but areas I just wanted to know more.

I.e. at one point I was concerned about our exposure to heavy metals. That was a test we could quickly run and understand the results, while skipping out on paying for a Dr visit and insurance hassles.

Blood spot testing, which is pricking your finger to collect small samples on a card, has been rigorously reviewed and validated for accuracy in lab testing. Which is why these are physician certified tests, with data provided back in a way we can all understand.

Everlywell also utilizes certified clinical laboratories with extremely high standards to ensure accurate processing.

At-home tests can provide valuable insights about your health, but they should not replace a doctor’s visit when you think something is truly wrong! A physician can better read all the data to tell you what actions to take.

TIP: Get 15% off by signing up for their email list!

How Does Everlywell Work?

What does an at home collection test look like? In most cases, they will be providing a dried blood spot testing kit.

But in some cases like cortisol testing, you’ll collect saliva sample throughout the day.

Step 1: Order Your Kit

Look through the list of over 30 home test kits Everlywell offers to find out which is going to best meet your needs. You’ll drop it in your basket and then at checkout use your HSA or FSA credit card to pay for it!

That’s right, these are absolutely something you can use that flexible health account on, which is even more savings.

You do NOT need a Dr’s prescription or note or anything like that to order.

Step 2: Collect Your Sample

Your testing kit will arrive in a very simple, direct, and easy to understand package. It will have everything you need to collect your sample.

• Step one review any needs to fast before taking the test (i.e. some glucose would require no food prior to the test to get an accurate blood sugar level)
• Step two register the kit by typing your code into the provided URL
• Step three clean your finger
• Step four use the provided stick to prick the SIDE of your finger (not the pad it bleeds heavily) – or collect urine or saliva as directed. They will provide multiple finger sticks, as soon as you use one the needle retracts and can’t be used again.
• Step five fill in the blood droplet circles

Step 3: Mail Back Your Sample

After you’ve collected your sample, inside the box you will find a Hazardous material marked plastic bag. You’ll place it inside there and then back inside the box you received.

You’ll also have an outer bag and a mailing label.

It’s all provided and super easy to put things together. Then you’ll drop it off at a UPS store with the pre-paid label making it ready to rock and roll.

Step 4: Read Your Results Online

After mailing your kit, you’ll get an email that it has been received by clia-certified labs.

Previously I got results within a week, but the last time around took about 14 days. I think there is a general back up in labs all over the US as they are helping with other testing.

• Receive an email that your results are ready
• Login to your account (created when you purchased)
• You’ll see a breakdown of the information related to that test
• You’ll see information about each of the markers and notes about why it might be high or low
• You may be eligible for a free phone consultation with a board-certified healthcare provider depending on the test and the results.
• You will NOT get recommendations on treating anything, in fact, Everywell encourages its customers to share their test results with a healthcare professional

If you do see something that is an issue, you can absolutely take this blood work to your doctor. They may choose to run their own additional blood test, but you can point out that this is lab testing that’s certified and used by physicians so it should be trusted.

Everlywell Test Kits

First, I’ll breakdown a number of the test kits that I have tried over the last 6 years. There are so many different kinds of tests, I won’t cover them all in-depth, but you’ll get a feel for the process and detail.

Food Sensitivity Test

An elimination diet is the BEST way to truly determine what foods might be bothering you. However, in the middle of marathon training I just couldn’t cut tons of food and find myself even lower on calories.

So I went for the comprehensive Everlywell Food Sensitivity Test to give me some starting points. But I went in knowing that:

• Food allergies are easy to spot, that’s the EpiPen kind of scenario
• Food intolerances are the sneaky ones that show up in stomach pain, runny nose, headache, acne, but often a few days after eating a food or only when eating a lot of the offending food
• Blood tests for food can have false positives around things you eat a lot
• There is a lot of debate around the accuracy of using blood for an immune system response, but Dr’s use it and as noted for me it was a tool in figuring things out
• If you end up with a massive list of food reactions don’t try to take everything out, that creates larger problems

They offer a small test and a more comprehensive test ($249). I decided to just go big and get the whole list because I already knee that cow’s milk and eggs are something I’ve had issues with, so I was actually more curious about things like coconut and lentils.

See the full list of foods in the Everlywell Food Sensitivity Test >>

Indoor Outdoor Allergy Test

Beyond looking at food, we often want to know if something in our environment is causing that runny nose or itchy eyes. This test is $199, again get that 15% code from above before ever ordering! They’ll send you another discount after.

David has a constant runny nose which he blamed on the cats. So finally I ordered this test to find out for sure!

WRONG.

He had no issues with the cats at all, at which point he moved on to claiming that it’s brain fluid. But at least the cats are safe.

• This is the same type of testing as food allergies, looking for how IG bodies react to potential allergens
• Again it’s not 100% foolproof, but at least provided us with some guidance on where to look
• It covers grasses, trees, molds and the most common pet issues

Learn more about the Indoor Outdoor Test >>

Women’s Health Test

A full hormonal panel, including thyroid and cortisol. It’s a test that can provide a lot of important insights and is also $199. They do have perimenpause test, a post menopause test, and a fertility test, which focus on fewer hormones for $99.

I wanted the full panel because knowing what’s happening with the thyroid can be extremely valuable. While InsideTracker does now include some women’s health hormones, it’s not as robust as some of these options.

Years ago, I found out that I stopped producing estrogen. Since then, I personally have wanted to keep an eye on all of my hormones and blood work to know where things stand.

Unfortunately, many women have found their Drs (and mine) refuse to order full hormone panels.

This information can be life changing and for women getting closer to running through menopause or that are post menopausal experiencing certain symptoms that feel random, but aren’t.

See the Women’s Health Test in Detail >>

 

Heavy Metals Test

Environmental toxins were one of the things we considered as a cause for my estrogen drop. Unfortunately many places deal with air and water pollution, along with things like mercury from fillings we got as children!

At $199 this one is actually a urine sample collection rather than a blood test and will look at the 6 most common heavy metals that can cause issues.

Find out more about the Heavy Metals Test>>

General Health Tests

Cholesterol & Lipids Test:  This test provides an overview of your cholesterol by checking your blood sample for total cholesterol, HDL (good) cholesterol, LDL (bad) cholesterol, and triglyceride levels.

Heart Health Test: This test measures the same markers as the cholesterol and lipids test along with high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) and hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c). This is because high levels of hs-CRP can be an indicator of inflammation in your body.

Lyme Disease Test: This test checks for IgG and immunoglobulin M (IgM) reactivity to the bacteria that cause Lyme disease.

HbA1c Test: This blood test looks at your blood sugar levels over the past 90 days.

FIT Colon Cancer Screening Test: This test is noninvasive and checks for blood in your stool. It’s important to note that it’s only available for people over the age of 45.

B Vitamins Test: This blood test checks levels of vitamins B6, B9, and B12 in your blood. Deficiencies can cause a range of different issues including fatigue.

Everlywell Men’s Health Tests

Men’s Health Test: This complete men’s health test includes testing for cortisol, estradiol, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA-S), and free testosterone. An imbalance of these hormones can cause issues in weight, mood, energy levels, and muscle mass.

Testosterone Test: If you’re looking to only get your testosterone levels check, then this is the test you should go for.

Everlywell Women’s Health Tests

HPV Test (Female): This test looks for the human papillomavirus (HPV), which can increase a person’s risk of developing cervical cancer. It tests for 14 high-risk HPV strains, including the HPV 16 and HPV 18 strain with a vaginal swab.

Women’s Health Test: This comprehensive test checks levels for 10 different hormones including estradiol, progesterone, luteinizing hormone (LH), cortisol, follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), DHEA-S, thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), free T3 and T4, and total testosterone.

Ovarian Reserve Test: This test can be used to check how many eggs you have currently. You can then compare it to the expected amount for your age.

Perimenopause Test: This test evaluates hormone levels associated with perimenopause, including estradiol, FSH, and LH.

Postmenopause Test: This test evaluates your estradiol and progesterone levels. You’ll then be able to see whether they fall in the normal range for postmenopause.

Women’s Fertility Test: This test measures hormones related to ovulation including estradiol, LH, FSH, TSH, and total testosterone.

Everlywell Energy and Weight Tests

The following tests check for hormone and vitamin levels that may affect energy and weight.

Thyroid Test: This test evaluates levels of important thyroid hormones (TSH, T3, and T4) along with antibodies related to thyroid function.

Vitamin D Test: This test checks whether your vitamin D levels are within the appropriate range. Vitamin D deficiency can cause various symptoms.

Metabolism Test: This test evaluates hormones related to metabolism, including cortisol, free testosterone, and TSH.

Everlywell Sexual Health Tests

Hepatitis C Test: This test checks for hepatitis C.

Trichomoniasis Test: This test checks only for trichomoniasis, a common and treatable STI.

Chlamydia & Gonorrhea Test: This test checks for both chlamydia and gonorrhea.

Syphilis Test: This test measures your exposure to the bacteria that cause syphilis.

HIV Test: This HIV test checks for both HIV-1 and HIV-2.

STD Test (Female): As a woman, if you want to check for several STIs, this test is a better value than doing the other tests individually. It checks for STDs such as chlamydia, hepatitis C, gonorrhea, HIV, syphilis, and trichomoniasis.

STD Test (Male): Similar to the test for women, this test for men checks for several STIs at once. Your samples will be tested for chlamydia, hepatitis C, gonorrhea, HIV, syphilis, and trichomoniasis.

Who is Everlywell For?

People who want personal health information at their fingertips should consider Everlywell. It’s a quick and easy solution for busy people to get discreet test results.

It can be a nice place to start when talking to a doctor about your general health, even though it is not a replacement for doing so.

Where Does Everlywell Ship?

Everlywell ships to 49 U.S. states, however apart from the COVID-19 test kit, the others aren’t available to ship to New York currently.

My Everlywell Review

While the MOST accurate way to test for an allergy is the Skin Prick test, it’s time consuming, painful, also still not accurate for a sensitivity and hard to find a DR to do. So I understand the potential limitations of the Everlywell style at home blood tests and I’m ok with it.

It’s provided me with information to try switching out foods so that I could resolve bloating issues.

It’s helped put my mind at ease about heavy metals after we go bombarded with news we needed to be checked.

It’s allowed me to be in charge of checking my hormonal healthy when previous Drs told me they thought it was all “probably just fine”. I’m not ok with probably anymore. Probably lead me down a long path of feeling unwell until someone finally chose to listen.

So yes, I recommend them because I like being in charge of my own health.

It’s also why I do more robust athlete blood testing and push our athletes to do so as well. With the InsideTracker testing we are often getting a much larger more comprehensive look at our health, instead of a snapshot of one single area. Both are valuable depending on the goal.

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READ MORE:

• Why I recommend Athlete blood testing to all our runners
• A detailed InsideTracker Review

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