Getting a blood test: how it works

If you want to know how your body is doing, a blood test is a logical starting point. Your blood offers insight into dozens of aspects of your health: from your vitamins and minerals to your cholesterol, blood sugar, hormones and thyroid function. For a long time, getting a blood test was only possible via the GP, with an appointment, a consultation and a referral letter. Today it can be simpler.

At Bloodworks you arrange your blood test entirely online. You decide which values you want tested and when you have your blood drawn. Our own medical team takes care of the laboratory request and reviews your result afterwards. You do not need to visit a practice first, and you do not have to justify your request to anyone.

Getting a blood test is especially valuable when you want targeted insight without an acute medical reason:

• You want to know preventively where you stand, for example with your cholesterol, blood sugar and vitamins.
• You want to follow a known value over time, such as a previously measured vitamin B12 or thyroid value.
• You train intensively and want insight into values linked to energy and recovery, such as your iron status.
• You eat a vegan or vegetarian diet and want to know whether you are getting enough vitamin B12, iron and vitamin D.
• You have been feeling low on energy for a while and want an objective picture as a starting point, alongside a possible visit to your GP.

Good to know: simple does not mean casual. Every request and every result is reviewed by a registered doctor, and your blood is analysed by certified Dutch laboratories, the same laboratories that also analyse for GPs and hospitals.

Getting a blood test at Bloodworks consists of four simple steps. From order to result, you arrange everything online, at your own pace.

• 1Choose your test online. You pick a value package around a theme, such as fatigue, thyroid or heart and vessels, or you choose individual markers, for example vitamin D or ferritin. Prefer something fully tailored? Then you build your own test. Not sure what fits your situation? Our online guided choice tool points you in the right direction in a few questions.
• 2Pay and complete the short intake. You pay directly online. You then fill in a short intake, so our doctor can review your request. After approval you receive your lab form digitally; with it you can go to the collection point.
• 3Have your blood drawn. You choose from more than 800 collection points across the Netherlands, so there is almost always a location near you. At most locations you can walk in without an appointment during opening hours. Bring your lab form, digitally on your phone or printed. The draw itself takes only a few minutes and is done by experienced staff.
• 4Receive your result with a doctor's interpretation. The laboratory analyses your blood and the result is usually available within 2 working days. You receive a message as soon as your personal report is ready in your own environment. There you see not only your values, but also what they mean: a registered doctor explains your result in understandable language and advises on possible next steps. If values are significantly abnormal, we proactively contact you.

Would you like to have a value tested again later, for example to follow the effect of a change in diet or lifestyle? Then you simply order the same marker again. Your results are kept together in your personal environment, so you can see how they develop.

At Bloodworks you know exactly what your blood test costs beforehand. You pay a fixed price per test, with no subscription and no costs afterwards. That price includes the laboratory analysis, the doctor's review and your personal report.

The pricing is straightforward. Each individual marker has an all-in price that already includes the one-off blood draw fee of 29,-; the thyroid value TSH costs 69,- all-in, for example. If you combine several markers or smaller packages in one order, you pay that draw fee only once. From an order total of 225,- the blood draw fee is waived entirely; the large value packages are always above that level and are therefore fully all-in. Smaller theme packages, such as the Blood Count at 49,-, show their package price; if your order stays below 225,-, the one-off draw fee is added. Order 2 or more packages and you also receive a 10% combination discount.

A blood test you request yourself is one you pay for yourself. It runs outside your health insurance and therefore does not count towards your compulsory excess. You also know the exact amount in advance, which is not always the case when testing runs through your insurance.

You will find the current price of every test on the page of the package or individual marker itself, along with exactly which blood values are included, so there are never any surprises.

You can have your blood drawn at one of more than 800 collection points across the Netherlands, from major cities to smaller towns. There is almost always a collection point near you, often within cycling or walking distance.

On the collection point page on our website you simply search by postcode or town. For each location you see the address, the opening hours and whether you book an appointment or just walk in. At most locations an appointment is not needed: you walk in at a moment that suits you, for example before work or while running errands.

If you live in a major city, you also find overviews per city on our website, for example for Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Utrecht. That way you see at a glance which collection points your city has, where they are and when they are open.

There is little to arrange for the draw itself. Bring your lab form, digitally or printed. If you need to fast for one of your markers, this is clearly stated in your instructions. The draw itself is done in a few minutes.

At Bloodworks you can have dozens of blood values tested, as an individual marker or bundled in a value package. The main areas at a glance:

• Vitamins and minerals. Think of vitamin D, vitamin B12, folic acid, ferritin (your iron stores), magnesium and zinc. Deficiencies often develop gradually and can play a role in fatigue and reduced energy.
• Thyroid. Values such as TSH and free T4 offer insight into how your thyroid works, a gland that influences among others your energy, weight and sensitivity to temperature.
• Hormones. Testosterone, for example. Hormones play a role in energy, muscle building, libido and general wellbeing, and can be tested for both men and women.
• Cholesterol and heart. A lipid panel with among others total cholesterol, LDL, HDL and triglycerides offers insight into important risk factors for heart and vessels.
• Blood sugar. Glucose and HbA1c show how your body handles sugars. HbA1c reflects the average over the past months, not just the moment of the draw.
• Liver and kidneys. Liver and kidney values, such as ALAT and creatinine, tell you how these organs are functioning. That can be relevant with long-term medication use, for example, in addition to the check-ups of your prescribing doctor.

If you already know exactly which value you want tested, an individual marker is the fastest route. If you are looking for a broader picture around a theme, a value package is almost always cheaper than the same markers separately. At the bottom of this page you find a selection of frequently tested values and packages.

No. For a blood test at Bloodworks you do not need a referral letter from your GP. In the Netherlands, laboratory testing is always requested by a doctor, but that does not have to be your GP. At Bloodworks our own registered medical team takes care of the laboratory request and also reviews your result. The only thing that disappears is the referral letter, not the medical diligence.

You arrange everything online, without a prior appointment at a practice and without waiting time. That also makes getting a blood test practical when you want insight quickly, for example before evaluating a change in your diet or supplements.

Would you like to know more, for example how coverage and the excess (eigen risico) work exactly? Then read our detailed guide on blood tests without a referral.

Let us be honest: getting a blood test at Bloodworks complements regular care, it does not replace your GP.

If you have symptoms, the GP is the right starting point. A good medical assessment consists of more than blood alone: your story, physical examination and further diagnostics where needed all belong to it. With acute or serious symptoms, such as chest pain or sudden shortness of breath, contact your GP directly, the out-of-hours service or, in an emergency, 112. In that case you should not order a blood test online.

The same applies after your test: if a result is abnormal, follow-up belongs to it. Our doctors say so honestly in your report and advise when contacting your GP is the sensible step. If values are significantly abnormal, we also proactively contact you. Your report is set up so your GP can act on it directly.

Finally, remember that a blood test is a snapshot: a normal result does not rule out every condition. If your symptoms persist, see your GP, even if your blood values show nothing unusual.