at-Home Vitamin D Blood Test

What is a Vitamin D Test?

A vitamin D test measures the level of vitamin D in your blood to make sure you have enough for your body to work well. Vitamin D is essential for healthy bones and teeth and keep your muscles, nerves, and immune system working normally. .

Although some foods are rich in vitamin D, like oily fish, our bodies only roughly absorb 10% of vitamin D from this source and the other 90% from our bodies. Having low levels of vitamin D is a common problem that can lead to bone disorders and other medical problems. Vitamin D testing can let you know if you need to increase your vitamin D levels.

Why do you need a vitamin D test?

A vitamin D insufficiency (mildly low levels of vitamin D) usually doesn't cause symptoms. So, you may need a test if you have a high risk for developing a deficiency because you:

• Are older than 65. As you age, your skin is less able to make vitamin D from sunlight.
• Rarely expose your skin to sunshine because you stay indoors, cover up outside, use sunscreen, or live where there is little sunlight
• Have dark skin, which makes less vitamin D from sunlight
• Have had weight loss surgery
• Have obesity
• Have a condition that makes it difficult to absorb nutrients in food, such as Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, and celiac disease
• Have kidney or liver disease that affects your ability to change vitamin D into a form your body can use
• Take certain medicines that affect your vitamin D levels

A lack of vitamin D can cause serious problems for babies and children. They may need a screening test for:

• Babies that are mainly fed breastmilk. Breastmilk is low in vitamin D (All babies need vitamin D supplements shortly after birth, unless they are fed only formula, which contains vitamin D.)
• Children with darker skin who live in areas with little sunlight
• Children with diets low in vitamin D

TEST PROCEDURE: