by Moses Nutrition © May 2018
How to Get Tested for Vitamin D
The test to run is called: Vitamin D, 25-Hydroxy — otherwise known as 25-hydroxyvitamin D or 25(OH)D or 25-Hydroxycalciferol.
Fasting is not required before doing this test. But we do highly suggest you stop taking any vitamin D a few days before you get tested so you aren’t testing the circulating D from a supplement. Also, don’t test within a couple of days of getting a lot of sun exposure as this can artificially spike the test result.
All doctors are able to run vitamin D blood tests. So if you have insurance, you can ask your doctor to order the test. Be sure to order the right one as named above.
If you don’t have insurance and/or don’t want to deal with going to a doctor, you can order the test online for around $60 or less. There are two ways to do this, and both are equally accurate. One involves going to a blood draw location and having your blood drawn; the other is to do a finger prick test at home.
To order online and go to a blood draw location near you:
There are many online labs. The way these work is that you buy the test online, provide a small amount of information such as your name and address, and then a doctor at that company (whom you never speak to) approves your test usually within about 12 hours, and you are then emailed a lab requisition form for the test. You enter your zip code on the website where you ordered your test to find a blood draw location near you, and you usually don’t even need an appointment to go in. You just show up with your lab requisition form, and a nurse draws your blood. Within a few days you are emailed your test results. It is very easy. (Some blood draw locations allow you to book appointments, which is often the most convenient.)
Here are some online lab companies we have used and like:
Some of these places will give you the option for Quest or LabCorp for the test. It really doesn’t matter which you use.
To do a finger prick test at home:
Go to: www.vitamindcouncil.org
Go to the Shop page and order the In-home vitamin D test kit. Currently it is $58. They will mail you a kit with instructions. This test takes longer to get the results (up to 3 weeks), and you do have to prick your own finger. They give you a little lancet to use for this. For many people, it really doesn’t hurt much at all to do. Having tried both versions of this, I (Nikki) personally prefer to go to a blood draw location. The reason is that the finger prick test requires five large drops of blood, and I found it a bit hard to get enough blood. But I have clients who much prefer to do this at home, so it really is about personal preference. The company has a video on their site that shows the procedure and instructions in detail:
https://www.vitamindcouncil.org/about-vitamin-d/testing-for-vitamin-d/
Once you have your results, be sure to email them in to us!