When you need some tests done, you usually have to go to the doctor. This can help in diagnosing a wide variety of diseases, infections, and more. However, what many people don’t realize is that some of these tests can be done at home, saving you a trip to the doctor and the money you would have spent on the appointment. In this article, we’ll take a look at some of the at-home medical tests you can do yourself.
What are At-Home Medical Tests?
At-home medical tests are a convenient set of tools that allow you to do certain tests at the comfort of your own home. They don’t require you to go to a doctor, but you’ll usually have to visit a pharmacy to get the testing tools. In some cases, you’d rather be given a vial and swab or other type of container to add a sample to. After adding the requested sample, you’ll then send it to a laboratory, where lab technicians will then perform the necessary tests.
Uses of At-Home Medical Tests
There are many ways to use at-home medical tests, but for most people, convenience is one of the key factors. These tests allow you to determine things like whether you’re pregnant, if you have high blood sugar, or even allow you to test for drug use without involving a doctor right away.
They can be a good first-line approach in the diagnostics process of various diseases. There are also cases where an at-home medical test can be used as a preventive measure. Consider a scenario where you test your blood glucose levels, and they remain high. This can be a sign of diabetes. However, there’s always the possibility of having insulin resistance that has not resulted in type 2 diabetes yet. By using the blood glucose at-home medical test, you end up identifying this problem and can then take the next steps, such as seeing your doctor and making adjustments to manage blood glucose levels.
List of At-Home Medical Tests & How to Understand the Results
Now that you have a better idea of what at-home medical tests are and how they are used, let’s take a look at some of the tests that you can do.
- Pregnancy Test: This test uses urine to detect possible pregnancy. They can be a useful first step to determine if you are pregnant. Depending on the brand, the test strip will show a plus sign, double lines, or a colored line if positive.
- Glucose Test: A test that uses a small droplet of blood to detect your blood sugar levels. It tells you how much glucose is circulating through your body and can be a good indicator of hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia. It’s an essential testing tool for people with diabetes. While there are different kinds of glucose testing devices, they usually use blood and then display your blood glucose levels on a digital screen.
Apart from these, there are also several types of at-home medical tests that involve collecting a sample and then sending it to a laboratory, such as:
- Drug Test: A sample is used to determine if the person has recently used certain types of drugs. The test can use different materials as a sample, including urine and blood.
- STD Tests: These tests will look for signs of a sexually transmitted infection. You’ll get a report after the sample was analyzed and you’ll usually be called if it’s a positive. STD tests usually look for chlamydia, gonorrhea, HIV, syphilis, and trichomoniasis.
- UTI Test: This test will look for signs of a urinary tract infection. You’ll be asked to submit a urine sample, and the laboratory will then send you the results after analyzing the urine.
Conclusion
At-home medical tests can be a great way to get an idea about your health. You can test for pregnancy, your blood sugar levels, and even for the presence of certain infections using at-home tests. It is still important to talk with your doctor about the test results, especially if treatment will require prescription medication.
Doctor, author and fitness enthusiast, Ahmed Zayed, MD, is a surgery resident with a passion for helping people live a happy healthy life. He is the author of numerous health-related books and contributor to several medicine, health and wellbeing websites.
