Thriva Home Blood Test Kit – My Full Review After 3rd Time Using

If you’re wondering if Thriva is worth your time, money and literally – blood – look no further. Thriva blood tests look at a multitude of things, whether you want to check your vitamin B, D, icon or even cholesterol, this could be the test for you. You receive vials in the post you sort yourself (or get help) and send off to receive results in your online account in a matter of days. If you have more than one test, you’re able to get a comparison.

I’ve used Thriva since 2019 when I bought it simply to see what was going on with my body. I’ve always liked testing to see if I can support my body to perform better, and have tested twice since.

Why bother getting it done?

If you have a health concern, such as feeling tired all the time, or just want to see where your body is at with certain things, it’s worth having this test done.

With each test, you get recommendations on how to improve your score. I did this test after getting an infection abroad. This was all over my results, so I probably should have waited before getting it, as I knew I had an infection, so the results weren’t me when normal. Having said that, I was pleased the results picked up on it so well.

As I’ve had 3 tests done now, I can log in to compare my results over time and look at trends. This is very handy if you have a certain problem you’re trying to improve, such as low iron.

HbA1c Comparison

This graph shows my HbA1c (Diabetes) results over time – the 3 points in the graph show my 3 tests.

Down the left, it tells you where you are within a range – the red at the top (above 45) is bad, the dark green is optimal and where you should aim to get to.

It shows you your trend, plus your latest ‘result’ and ‘insights’ which tell you about the long-term health of HbA1c.

Get Thriva here: thriva.co or take the Thriva test for recommendations here.

You get this for each of the tests you have done:

What tests do I have done?

I get 9 tests each time I make an order. Each one adds to the price. These are the tests I get done:

Others include Creatinine (+£5), Omega 3 & 6 (+£68), Ferritin, Testosterone (+£5 or profile +£15), B12 Active, Thyroid advanced, Folate, Apolipoproteins and cholesterol profile.

You can’t have all tests done at once, as they’ll need too much blood so you’ll have to split them into 2 or more. Each test is explained in detail as to why you’d have it, who it would benefit, and what the results may show.

What’s involved?

You get a kit through the post that you send back containing vials of your blood. You can either collect the blood yourself, or go to your nearest pharmacy, although there’s an extra charge for that. I’ve always collected my own blood as I don’t have a problem with it. It isn’t pleasant but as long as you follow the instructions, you’ll be fine (added my own tips below!). You get your personalised results within a week.

Get Thriva here: thriva.co or take the Thriva test for recommendations here.

What do the results look like?

Here is a summary of my latest results. Each test resul can be clicked into so you get to know where you are on the optimised scale, plus trend info and summary (like the photo above showing my HbA1c (Diabetes) results). You also get several paragraphs of tailored recommendations from a Doctor, who gives you useful information and any changes based on previous results you’ve had.

This test was done a month after I got ill abroad – I had severe sickness and you can guess the rest. I was ill for 4 months following the holiday, and had this test done before I was fully better. The results (and the Doctor notes) mentions high CRP which is an infection or measure of inflammation – which makes complete sense.

Doing your own blood test – what’s it like & what are the steps?

I didn’t mind it. I’m not a fan of blood but not squeamish. It doesn’t hurt but my finger was a bit sore for a few days. It’s not nice having to prick your own finger, I had to hype myself up but the anticipation is SO MUCH WORSE than the actual action of it.

Get Thriva here: thriva.co or take the Thriva test for recommendations here.

My tests have taken around 30mins in total.

Depending on how many tests you want depends on how much blood you need to take. More tests = more blood. I’ve usually had to give 2 full vials. As long as you follow the steps, you’ll be fine.

My top tips include:

• do it in a morning before any food or drink except for water
• drink LOADS of water before you do the test as it’ll help blood flow (this is really important – no water means thick blood which will make it SO hard & time consuming to fill up the vials)
• get things prepped the night before so it takes less time in the morning and so you’re less likely to make a mistake
• soak your hand in warm water first before starting – can’t remember for how long but 10 mins maybe – this helps blood flow
• read the instructions the night before and in the morning – make sure you are prepped beforehand so you don’t mess up
• eat a good breakfast afterwards to refuel
• get it all sent off in the post the same day to ensure the blood doesn’t go ‘off’ (you get a free returns parcel bag)

How much is it?

I get it on an annual subscription for £91 for 9 tests, but I think this is discounted from my usual £103. Each test has a price so you can tailor it. You could get a few in one test, then different ones next time for example, although with this you wouldn’t be able to compare results until you next got the same test. You get an envelope to return the blood in so you don’t need to pay for any return postage.

Get Thriva here: thriva.co or take the Thriva test for recommendations here.