Best companies for blood tests please

[Noelnoel]

Not necessarily the cheapest though that’s a bonus

Husband would like to check his:

Iron panel

Nutrients

Selenium

Thyroid function

You may say I need to go to various companies to find the best for each test. That’s fine

Thanks all

[RedApple Administrator]

Most members here use the ones listed on TUK website thyroiduk.org/help-and-supp...

Another member posted this earlier healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

[Noelnoel in reply to RedApple]

Thanks RedApple

Ordinarily I would’ve gone straight medichecks or blue horizon but lately there seems to have been a lot of negative comments about certain companies and I just wanted to use the most reliable so that we can be reasonably sure the results are “accurate”

[SeasideSusie Remembering]

Medichecks for the iron panel - Home iron test £39 less usual discount.

Medichecks Advanced Thyroid Function Test or Blue Horizon Thyroid Premium Gold for thyroid panel plus key nutrients - less usual discount.

Selenium??? I did it with Cerascreen, if you order the Selenium test it's the same as the Mineral Deficiency Test which includes zinc, magnesium and selenium. The magnesium test is standard serum magnesium test (same as Blue Horizon) so isn't very helpful, it's the red cell magnesium test that is the best magnesium test but it is expensive and requires phlebotomy so never included in test bundles.

I only used Cerascreen because it was a fingerprick test and reasonably priced but the sample gets sent to Germany so it takes quite a while to receive results (about 2 weeks). Not sure I would "recommend" them as such but it's an option if you can't find a suitable selenium test anywhere else.

Remember that if you choose to do more than one test with Medichecks then make separate orders for each one, otherwise they'll bundle them together and you will only get one return envelope and I'm not sure whether there will be enough blood in one microtainer or whether they would send two or whether you'd need to have a venous blood draw. If you want to do fingerprick tests then separate orders and I'd do them on different days unless the blood flows really well from the fingerprick and you think both microtainers can be filled to the 600 mark.

[Noelnoel in reply to SeasideSusie]

Thank you SeaaideSusie

Selenium??? I did it with Cerascreen,

Oh yes, I remember now, we had a conversation about it deciding it probably wasn’t worth bothering with

Remember that if you choose to do more than one test with Medichecks then make separate orders for each one

I wouldn’t have known that. Does that mean more than one postal charge?

[SeasideSusie Remembering in reply to Noelnoel]

Noelnoel

I wouldn’t have known that. Does that mean more than one postal charge?

No. They don't charge to post any kit to you and they include a pre-paid return envelope so the only postal charge would be if you wanted to send the sample back by Royal Mail's Special Delivery Service (which is what I do because the Tracked 24 return envelope which they include doesn't guarantee next day delivery).

The reason for making separate orders I mentioned above - they bundle the tests together and assume you'll do them at the same time, so you get one kit with one or two blood tubes and one return envelope. So if you wanted to do them on separate days you wouldn't have the extra return envelope, also some people may struggle to get enough blood for more than one test.

If you do want more than one test then make separate orders, you will then get the appropriate kit for each test sent separately with it's own return envelope. You then have the choice. If you want to do them on different days you've got enough return envelopes, If you want to do them on the same day just put the sample tubes in the one return envelope which, if you are going to use RM's Special Delivery, means just one fee. Obviously if you did that then you'd have to check that the same lab is used for each test, so check the addresses on the return envelope.

[Noelnoel in reply to SeasideSusie]

That really helpful to know. Thank you