It’s one thing to make healthy decisions day-to-day, but you gain so much more power when you have a full picture of how well your body is functioning.
These days I’m all about peeking under the cover, and at-home tests have given me incredible insight into areas where I can optimize my health.
The issue? Most at-home tests are not available in New York. This recurring conundrum led me to Labcorp OnDemand, a company offering a comprehensive selection of at-home and in-person medical tests in 46 states across the U.S. (including New York) with no prescription or doctor referral.
Below, I’ll take you through every step of my experience testing Labcorp OnDemand’s suite of women’s hormone tests.
To avoid burying the lede: This service gave me speedier results than any other at-home or in-person lab test I’ve found, and the process was almost seamless.
Labcorp OnDemand
What is Labcorp OnDemand?
Labcorp OnDemand is an online health company that provides at-home test kids and in-person lab testing. The service allows you to purchase and complete comprehensive health tests without a prescription or visit to your doctor’s office.
Depending on which type of test you choose (and your location), you’ll either visit a local Labcorp patient service center for a sample collection, or you’ll collect your at-home sample yourself and mail it in for testing.
Labcorp has a network of 2,000 patient service centers in 46 states across the U.S. If you live in Hawaii, Maine, North Dakota, or Vermont, then you can still purchase the test but you’ll need to travel to a state with a Labcorp location.
All samples are tested in CAP-accredited and CLIA-certified laboratories.
Labcorp OnDemand tests
Labcorp OnDemand offers 61 tests, which you can sort through based on eight categories: annual wellness, fertility & sexual health, COVID-19, nutrition & vitamin health, allergy, diabetes, general health, and immunity & infectious disease.
The cost of Labcorp OnDemand’s tests ranges from $29 to $239. Head to the company’s site to view the full list of tests or view a snapshot of a few tests below:
Reader perk
Labcorp OnDemand in-person testing process
Purchasing the test
I live New York, where at-home testing is not legal. As a result, I opted for Labcorp OnDemand’s in-person testing, which you still purchase online.
Before you choose your test, you can review each individual test on the website. This provides more guidance in terms of who might want to take this test and what insights it will provide into your health.
These descriptions reveal the sample type needed—ex: blood, urine, or saliva—and how to prepare for the sample collection. It also shares how long it will take to receive your results.
My online purchasing experience was seamless, and I found the individual product pages to be incredibly helpful. I love the “Why Consider This Test” section, which gives science-backed insights into why that particular aspect of your health is important.
I did hit one small snafu, which was that I later learned if you purchase multiple tests at one time, you’ll have to do the sample collection for each test at the same time, too.
I purchased a few hormonal tests that needed to be taken on various days of my cycle. I planned to take the first round of tests at my first appointment, and the remaining tests at my next visit.
Scheduling your appointment
Once your purchase is complete, you’ll receive a confirmation email containing your order number and a link to schedule your appointment.
The scheduling link brings you to a locater page, where you input your address or zip code to search for a local laboratory.
Before scheduling, you’ll need to select the reason for your visit; all tests will fall under “routine labwork.”
I was testing various hormone panels, which needed to be taken on specific days of my cycle. My first testing window landed on a Sunday.
Thankfully, you can narrow your lab search to specifically those that are open on the weekends. You can also narrow to locations that are open at the time of your search and to labs that are located inside a local Walgreens.
Initially, I had 20 labs within a 5 mile radius of my address. Once I narrowed down to those with weekend hours, there were 16 locations in my 5 mile radius; and one location with Sunday hours.
Ultimately, you likely won’t have an issue finding a Labcorp OnDemand location near you—but if you have a specific testing window, I’d suggest doing your best to avoid Sundays!
Once your appointment is scheduled, you’ll receive an email rundown with important details—the subject will literally be Important details about your Labcorp appointment.
The company offers a convenient mobile check-in, so you’ll simply click the ‘view my confirmation’ button from the aforementioned email when you arrive.
Of course, if mobile check-in isn’t your thing, there are also check-in kiosks in the waiting room. Once checked in, you can choose to wait the lab’s waiting room or someplace close by; they’ll send you a text when it’s your turn.
I purchased four tests and they were all blood draws, so I felt a bit nervous going to the lab for my appointment. I’m not terrible with blood, but the last testing company I tried drew at least eight vials for one test—so I could only imagine how much blood Labcorp OnDemand would take for four!
To my delight, the phlebotomist only took one tiny tube of blood! I learned that Labcorp can complete up to nine tests with one tube, which is a huge plus for those who get nervous with blood draws.
My entire experience at the Labcorp OnDemand lab was quick and simple. I waited for less than five minutes, and the draw itself took less than three minutes.
