One of the most important glands in your body is known as the thyroid. This vital gland can cause your body all sorts of problems when it does not work properly. Common problems can include a rapid increase or loss in weight, impaired memory and problems with menstrual flow. Infertility and miscarriage are also common problems cause by a thyroid disorder.
Home Thyroid Testing
Testing your thyroid function at home can be a convenient and affordable way to monitor your thyroid health. Here are some key reasons why using an at-home thyroid test kit may be beneficial:
Easy And Convenient Testing
Home thyroid test kits are easy to use — you simply collect a small blood sample at home with a finger prick, then test. This is much more convenient than having to go to a lab or doctor’s office to have blood taken. You can test on your own schedule and in the comfort of your home.
Affordable Option
At-home thyroid test kits are an affordable option compared to testing through a doctor’s office or lab, which can be expensive. Home kits can cost just a few pounds. For people who need to monitor thyroid levels regularly, home testing kits are a budget-friendly choice.
Faster Insight And Improvement
Testing your thyroid hormones at home gives you faster insight compared to waiting weeks or months for a doctor’s appointment. If your levels are off, you can start adjusting your diet, exercise routine, sleep habits or medication more quickly. Fast feedback from a home test means faster improvement.
Better Monitoring Between Doctor Visits
Home thyroid testing allows you to check hormone levels as often as you need, which helps you keep better track of your thyroid health between doctor visits. You can monitor to ensure your levels stay in normal range or to identify if adjustments in your treatment are needed. More frequent testing leads to better thyroid management.
Track Your Individual Response
People can have highly individualised responses to hypothyroidism treatment and medication. Frequent home testing allows you to track your personal thyroid hormone patterns and responses. You can identify optimal medication doses for your body, as well as times of day you may need adjusted dosing.
While not a replacement for in-person doctor appointments and physical exams, home thyroid test kits can be an easy, affordable and effective way to monitor your thyroid health more closely. If thyroid problems run in your family or you have symptoms of a thyroid disorder, a home testing kit is a great way to gain more insight into your thyroid function.
Understanding Your Test Results
Let’s face it – staring at those test lines can feel like trying to decode ancient hieroglyphics! While a negative result might bring relief, it’s not always the full story. Your TSH levels naturally fluctuate throughout the day, with peaks typically occurring between 2-4 AM and lowest levels showing up in the late afternoon. That’s why doctors often recommend testing at consistent times. If you’re on thyroid medication, try testing before taking your daily dose. Remember, even with a negative result, trust your gut – if you’re still experiencing symptoms, don’t hesitate to get a second opinion from your healthcare provider.
Prima Home Test Kit For Thyroid (TSH)
The Prima Home Thyroid Test Kit is a quick and easy test kit that allows you to test for TSH levels at home. TSH levels in blood offer a good indicator physiological condition of the thyroid as high levels of TSH often indicate an under active thyroid. A home test for TSH is simple to conduct and takes just a few minutes to show results.
The thyroid home test kit is simple enough to use:
1) Wash your hands before starting to test.
2) Remove the TSH test out of its wrapper by tearing the protective pouch at the notch.
3) Clean the end of your middle finger with the enclosed alcohol pad.
4) Draw a small amount of blood from the finger by piercing it with the lancing device. (This is honestly not as painful as it sounds — you will hardly feel a thing!)
5) Suck up the blood with the pipette and deposit the collected blood into the sample well of the test kit.
6) Add 5 drops of the diluent liquid — (this bit is important, forget this and the test won’t work!)
7) After 10 minutes the results will be available to read. A positive test will shows two lines -meaning that TSH levels are higher than normal. If you get a result like this, go and see your doctor. A negative thyroid test result will show just one line in the C mark (control) section of the test.
If the result of your sample shows a negative thyroid test result, your screening kit will only show one line which will appear in the C section of the thyroid test kit.
More About Underactive Thyroid
We’ve put together a post About Underactive Thyroid (Hypothyroidism) for your further reading. The Thyroid Test Kit from Zoom Baby is just one of our range of home health tests kits. The Zoom Health range includes a test for diabetes, a cystitis test kit and a Home Blood Group Test.
Photo by Zoom Health
Zoom Health is a leading UK supplier of Home Health Tests and Earplugs
