Frequently asked questions

What are these tests commonly ordered for?

ApoB (apolipoprotein B)

Measures the main protein on LDL and related cholesterol-carrying particles. MedlinePlus says it is most often done to help find the cause or specific type of high blood cholesterol, alongside a standard cholesterol panel.^1,8

Lp(a) (lipoprotein(a))

Measures a type of lipoprotein whose level is largely inherited. It is commonly ordered as part of assessing cardiovascular risk, for example when there is a family history of early heart disease.²

hs-CRP (high-sensitivity C-reactive protein)

Measures low levels of C-reactive protein, a protein the liver makes in response to inflammation. The high-sensitivity version is used in assessing heart disease risk.³

HbA1c (hemoglobin A1c)

Reflects average blood sugar over roughly the past three months. It is used to screen for and diagnose prediabetes and diabetes, and to monitor diabetes.⁴

Homocysteine

Measures an amino acid in the blood. MedlinePlus says it is most often used to check vitamin B6, B12 and folic acid levels, and may also be used to help diagnose homocystinuria, a rare genetic disease.⁵

Fasting insulin

Measures how much insulin is in the blood, usually after fasting. MedlinePlus says it can help check how much insulin the pancreas is making and, together with other tests, help diagnose and monitor conditions such as insulin resistance; it is not usually used to diagnose diabetes.⁶

Descriptions summarize the cited public health references. Whether a test is appropriate for you is a question for a clinician.

How does a direct-to-consumer (DTC) lab order work?

1. Buy online. You choose and pay for a test on the seller's website. Most sellers on this site are ordering services; the blood is tested by a large lab such as Quest Diagnostics or Labcorp.
2. A clinician authorizes the order. In most states a licensed practitioner must order the test. DTC sellers usually have an independent physician network review and sign the order. Labcorp, for example, says its OnDemand services "are available only with a physician order".⁹
3. Get your blood drawn. You take the order (or a confirmation code) to a patient service center, or use an at-home kit if the test is offered that way. Some tests need fasting; the product page usually says so.
4. Get results online. Results are posted to the seller's portal, often within a few days. Some sellers' physicians contact you about critical results; check each seller's policy.

The FDA describes direct-to-consumer tests as tests marketed directly to consumers, which may be bought without going through a health care provider first.⁷

What is a physician-order fee?

Because a clinician has to authorize most lab orders, some sellers charge a separate fee for that review. Others include it in the test price. On this site:

• A fee is added to the "Total" column only when the product page states it, for example Walk-In Lab's "+$6 per order physician fee" and Discounted Labs' "$10 lab processing fee will be added to your total".
• Labcorp's user agreement says "All testing includes the cost of physician services".⁹
• Per-order fees are counted once in the "longevity six" bundle total.
• Other charges (blood-draw fees, at-home collection, state surcharges, taxes) can appear only at checkout and are not included.

Which states restrict DTC lab testing?

State rules differ, and sellers apply them differently. Check the seller's own availability page before you buy. What we found in public sources on 2026-10-18:

• New York allows consumer-requested testing without a practitioner order only for tests that match an FDA-cleared or approved over-the-counter test or collection device.^10,11
• New York, New Jersey and Rhode Island are the states sellers most often exclude. Walk-In Lab says that "due to state laws prohibiting direct-access testing" it does not serve these three states.¹² Lab Testing API lists AZ, NY, NJ and RI as unavailable.¹⁴ WHOOP charges an extra state-required fee for tests taken in NY, NJ or RI.¹⁵
• Maryland and Massachusetts are also restricted by some sellers. Own Your Labs, for example, cannot fulfill orders from MA, MD, NJ, NY or RI residents.¹³
• Some services also exclude Hawaii, Wyoming, North Dakota and South Dakota, often because of lab or partner coverage rather than a state ban. WHOOP Advanced Labs, for example.¹⁵

A third-party summary of state rules, with links to the statutes it cites, is at LabTestSuperstore.¹⁶ This is not legal advice, and rules change.

How does this site get its prices?

A script reads each participating seller's public product pages once a day, checks robots.txt first, waits between requests and records only prices it can read from the page. It skips any site that blocks automated requests or whose terms forbid automated access. Prices are never estimated. See About for the current seller list.

Sources

1. MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia, "Apolipoprotein B". medlineplus.gov/ency/article/003502.htm
2. Testing.com, "Lipoprotein (a)". testing.com/tests/lipoprotein-a
3. MedlinePlus, "C-Reactive Protein (CRP) Test". medlineplus.gov/lab-tests/c-reactive-protein-crp-test
4. MedlinePlus, "Hemoglobin A1C (HbA1c) Test". medlineplus.gov/lab-tests/hemoglobin-a1c-hba1c-test
5. MedlinePlus, "Homocysteine Test". medlineplus.gov/lab-tests/homocysteine-test
6. MedlinePlus, "Insulin in Blood Test". medlineplus.gov/lab-tests/insulin-in-blood-test
7. U.S. FDA, "Direct-to-Consumer Tests". fda.gov/medical-devices/in-vitro-diagnostics/direct-consumer-tests
8. Cleveland Clinic, "Apo B Test". my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diagnostics/24992-apolipoprotein-b-test
9. Labcorp, "Online Services User Agreement", sec. 30 (Labcorp OnDemand terms). labcorp.com/…/online-services-user-agreement
10. New York State Department of Health, Wadsworth Center, "Direct Access Testing". wadsworth.org/regulatory/clep/direct-access-testing
11. New York Public Health Law § 576-b (via Justia). law.justia.com/codes/new-york/pbh/article-5/title-5/576-b
12. Walk-In Lab, "Terms and Conditions". walkinlab.com/terms
13. Own Your Labs, "FAQ". ownyourlabs.com/faq
14. Lab Testing API, "Terms". labtestingapi.com/terms
15. WHOOP, "Advanced Labs Gift" product page and Advanced Labs page. shop.whoop.com/us/en/products/advanced-labs-gift, whoop.com/us/en/advanced-labs
16. LabTestSuperstore, "State Laws for Self-Ordered Lab Testing" (third-party summary). labtestsuperstore.com/lab-testing/state-laws

Sources checked 2026-10-18.