What Happens When You Have A Blood Test?

One of the best tests of your overall health that you can have at a pharmacy is a blood test, as it can potentially test for a huge range of conditions through a single sample of blood.

Because your blood carries so many different biomarkers within it, a blood test is the best way to check your overall health, although it is often used to test for more specific conditions due to the inherently intrusive nature of blood tests.

Types Of Blood Tests

All blood tests are inherently intrusive because they require a sample of your blood, but some types of blood tests are more intrusive and extensive than others.

The least intrusive is spot card tests, which are often used to test if a newborn baby has one of nine rare conditions.

Spot card tests can also be used as part of STD tests, by using a lanced wound to check if blood spot is positive for a wide range of sexually transmitted infections.

Beyond this, blood and plasma can be collected to check for a wide range of conditions. In 2020, many people were tested to see if they had antibodies for Covid-19 before a vaccine was developed.

This involved the use of a lance to induce bleeding into a test tube, which is the other common way to undertake a blood test.

Why Are Blood Tests Generally Undertaken?

Unless you specifically request them, most commonly as part of a STI test, blood tests are undertaken for a wide variety of reasons.

A doctor or pharmacist may recommend one as part of a general physical exam, as blood tests are the best way to test for certain medical conditions or analyse overall health.

Whilst many biomarkers of health can vary, there are indicators in your blood such as your complete blood count that can check your general health and if certain prescription medications are affecting your body.

Are There Any Other Reasons Why You Need A Blood Test?

Alternatively, if you have a genetic predisposition to certain health conditions, a blood test is a way to confirm this and ensure that you are prescribed the medication you may need.

This is also true for known conditions where prescription treatment is based on the level of progression of the condition or any experienced symptoms. Whilst your experience will show that you need treatment, a blood test can determine the precise safe prescription.

Alternatively, if you are pregnant, you may need a blood test to check your blood type and ensure that there is no risk of potential complications.

You may need a blood test in advance of surgery, but it is unlikely that this would be undertaken at a pharmacy unless it was to determine if a particular course of surgery was needed.

Why Else Might You Want A Blood Test?

Blood tests are very popular amongst health and fitness enthusiasts, as it can reveal the precise levels of cholesterol and body fat, which can potentially be used to tweak fitness plans as and when they are necessary to improve health.