Are At-Home Lab Kits Helpful or Harmful?

At-home test kits may not give you the complete picture

We all want healthcare to be as easy and stress-free as possible. Whether it’s a telemedicine visit with your provider, getting your prescriptions delivered to your door or accessing test results through a portal, there are endless options to make healthcare more convenient.

And now, with the widespread popularity of at-home testing kits, you can get health information without ever leaving your house. But are they worth it? Here’s what you need to know.

What are at-home lab tests?

“On-demand medical tests are used to self-check for or monitor certain health conditions,” says Elsie Yu, PhD, director, Point-of-care Testing at Geisinger. “These tests can act as a tool to get more information about your health.”

You can buy them online or at most retailers. They come in 2 main forms:

Self-tests

For these tests, you’ll take a sample of body fluid, like blood, saliva or urine and apply it to the kit for immediate results.

Self-collection tests

Like self-tests, you’ll collect your sample at home. However, instead of getting results right away, you’ll need to send your sample out for testing. “The laboratory will analyze your sample and send results once they’re ready,” says Dr. Yu.

Results may not be available for a few days or weeks, so it may be just as easy for you to request the laboratory test from your provider and have it done the traditional way.

What do at-home lab kits test for?

Looking for instant results? At-home lab kits can give you immediate results for things like:

Pregnancy
Covid/flu
Blood glucose levels

Self-collection kits are available to check for a variety of conditions, including:

Sexually transmitted infections (STIs)
Certain cancers, like colon or cervical cancer
Hormonal imbalances
Food allergies and sensitivities

Using at-home testing kits

You might choose to do at-home testing for a few reasons, including:

Convenience

Kits are available anywhere. And you can have them shipped to your door. Once you have your kit in hand, you can use it almost anywhere, on your schedule.

Privacy

At-home test kits can give you a result in private. This can help reduce the stigma of getting tested by your healthcare provider, especially for things like STIs.

Affordability

While this may not be true of all laboratory tests, many are available at affordable prices. Some may even be covered under your flexible spending benefits. And depending on your insurance, some test kits, like ones that check for COVID-19 or colorectal cancer, or glucose tests for diabetes monitoring, may be covered under your health benefits.

Curiosity

At-home testing, especially DNA tests, can be a fun way to learn more about your own personal background.

“But,” says Dr. Yu, “if you have a real medical concern, and you prefer to do an at-home test, just know that the test you selected may or may not address your concerns.”

Concerns with using them

Not all lab kits are created equal. Most are not as accurate as testing performed at a medical facility. Not all laboratories are created equal, either. Using a reliable, trusted lab means you’ll have accurate results.

Another reason for inaccurate test results “can be due to the test not being easy enough to do on your own,” Dr. Yu says.

With so much variety, many at-home tests may also not be medically necessary. Remember, most at-home tests are sold for profit. And tests like those to check if you’re in menopause or perimenopause may not measure the right things. “If you have menopausal symptoms that make you want treatment, you need to talk to your provider,” says Dr. Yu.

And for tests that measure food allergies or sensitivity, result interpretation is confusing even to medical professionals. For example, food sensitivity tells you whether you’ve had the food previously, while a positive food allergy result doesn’t always mean you have an actual allergy. However, “if you avoid certain foods based on a positive food allergy this despite not having allergic reaction, you may be at a higher risk of developing a food allergy later,” Dr. Yu notes.

Know before you go

Before you make the decision to purchase a test kit, think about your goals for testing. Then do some research. If the test you’re looking at buying seems to be making a lot of claims without much data to back things up, you may want to skip it and look for something else.

“I think at-home testing is a good idea,” Dr. Yu says. “For example, the continuous glucose monitoring has really revolutionized the life of patients with diabetes. But many tests aren’t regulated very well to protect consumers. That’s why partnering with your provider is key to help you find the right test.”