Essential Well Man Blood Test

All 19 markers, grouped by what they tell you:

The kit arrives in the post with everything you need: lancets, a small collection tube, plasters, instructions and a prepaid return envelope. First thing in the morning, after fasting overnight, wash your hands in warm water, prick the side of a fingertip and let the drops fall into the tube up to the line, then seal it, complete the form and post it back the same day. Every one of the 19 markers is measured from that sample. Most people are done in ten minutes.

The Essential is a 19-marker finger-prick kit you take at home for £129. The Advanced is a 49-marker venous blood test taken at a clinic or by a nurse for £175, and adds PSA for prostate health, a full blood count, CRP for inflammation, ferritin and full iron studies, more liver and kidney markers and calcium. Under 40, feeling well and wanting convenience, the Essential is a good baseline. Over 40, or if you want the prostate and diabetes markers, choose the Advanced.

Yes, total testosterone. Low testosterone is common from the 40s and shows up as tiredness, low libido, erectile problems, low mood and loss of muscle. Levels are highest in the morning, which is why the kit should be taken first thing. A low or borderline result is usually repeated before anything is concluded, and your GP report will say so. If you want free testosterone and SHBG as well, our Testosterone Blood Test includes them.

Yes. We ask you to fast for 8 to 12 hours before you take the sample, so take the sample first thing in the morning and have nothing but water from the evening before. Fasting keeps the triglyceride and glucose-related results comparable with the reference ranges. Take any regular medication as normal unless your GP has told you otherwise, and eat as soon as it is done.

Raised cholesterol and the heart-disease risk that goes with it; an under- or over-active thyroid; early liver strain from alcohol, weight or medication; reduced kidney function; low iron; low testosterone; raised blood sugar and diabetes risk (HbA1c); and deficiencies in vitamin D, B12, folate and magnesium, which are common causes of tiredness, low mood, cramps and poor recovery. It does not include PSA or a full blood count; the Advanced Well Man does.

For the markers in this kit, a finger-prick sample analysed in an accredited laboratory gives results comparable to a venous sample, provided the sample is collected properly and posted promptly. The kit's limitations are volume, which is why it cannot include a full blood count or a large panel, and the small risk of a sample arriving clotted or short; if that happens we send a replacement kit at no charge.

£129 for the Essential Well Man, which includes the kit, prepaid return postage, laboratory analysis of all 19 markers and a GP report. Home well man kits in the UK typically cost £90 to £150, and the doctor's review is sometimes extra. If you would rather have the sample taken for you, the Advanced Well Man is £175 at a clinic or £195 with a nurse.

Not as a package. The NHS Health Check for men aged 40 to 74 covers blood pressure, cholesterol, BMI and sometimes HbA1c, and your GP will only add thyroid, liver, kidney, iron, vitamins or testosterone if you have symptoms that justify each one. This kit gives you all of them at once, and the GP report can be shared with your own GP for any NHS follow-up.

Once a year is a sensible rhythm to build a baseline and watch trends in cholesterol, liver markers, testosterone and vitamin D. If a result is borderline, your GP report may suggest repeating it in three to six months. If you are changing diet, training or supplements, testing before and three months after shows whether it worked.

Results are emailed within 3 to 5 working days of your sample reaching the laboratory, with a GP report that explains every marker and what to do next. Post the sample the same day you take it, Monday to Thursday if you can, so it does not sit over a weekend.

Yes. The Essential Well Woman Blood Test is the same 19-marker home kit with LH in place of testosterone, and the Advanced and Signature Well Woman tests add CA-125, prolactin and more.