Lab Support Resource Page

Which test are you preparing for?

We offer four types of lab tests. Each one has different collection steps. Find yours below and follow the guide.

Blood Draw

Collected at a lab appointment. Fastest collection method.

1. Log into your account and locate your requisition.
2. Schedule your draw appointment.
3. Bring a valid photo ID.
4. Follow any fasting instructions listed in your account.

Results post to your account once processed.

NutrEval

Blood draw plus home urine collection. Most involved panel. Everything happens on one morning.

Pick your day

Pick a Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday. Not Friday. Not a holiday week. Book your blood draw for mid-morning, around 10am or 11am. Do not start anything until that appointment is booked. Women: skip your period week. Any blood in your urine ruins the sample.

Find a phlebotomist near you

Specialty kits cannot be drawn at standard commercial lab locations. You pay the phlebotomist directly at your appointment.

Four days before

Ask your practitioner if you should pause any supplements or medications. Never stop a prescription without asking the doctor who prescribed it.

The day before

Eat normally. Don't binge on any one food. Don't start a diet. Drink less water than usual. No more than six glasses all day. This one matters.

The night before

Three things: Put the ice brick in the freezer. Leave it overnight. Stop eating. Water only from here until your blood draw. Brush and floss like normal, but no mouthwash.

The morning

7:00am, right when you wake up: Pee into a clean cup. A big plastic cup works fine. This has to be your very first pee of the day. Use the little dropper to fill both tubes almost to the top. Screw the caps on tight and shake them. Put the tubes and the white pad back in the biohazard bag. Put the bag in the freezer. If you also got cheek swabs: don't eat, brush, drink coffee, or chew gum first. Scrape the inside of your cheek hard for 30 seconds with each swab. Let them air dry 20 minutes, then put them back in their package and seal it in the paper envelope. Write on the labels: Your birthday and today's date. Stick one label on each urine tube. One on the swab envelope if you did swabs. 9:00am, go online: Go to gdx.net/activate or scan the QR code on the card in your kit. It asks for today's date. It gives you back a confirmation code. Write that code on the card. Put the card in the box. 9:30am, pack the box: Ice brick and the frozen urine bag go inside the foam cooler. Put the foam lid back on. Swab envelope goes behind the foam cooler. Activation card goes in the box. 10:00am, go to your appointment: Still fasting. Bring the whole box and the FedEx envelope. Before you leave, ask them one question: do you mail it, or do I?

Mail it

Same day. Monday through Friday only.

The four mistakes people make: Collecting urine on a different day than the blood draw. It all has to be the same morning. Trying to activate the kit the day it arrives. You can't. You need your collection date first. Drinking a lot of water the day before. Forgetting to freeze the ice brick overnight.

Still need to book your blood draw?

Find a phlebotomist near you

DUTCH

Collected entirely at home. No blood draw, no appointment. Timing is the thing that matters most on this one.

Before you start

Read the instruction sheet in your kit before you collect anything. Your kit tells you exactly when to collect each sample, and that schedule is not flexible. Ask your practitioner about pausing supplements or medications before you begin, and never stop a prescription without asking the doctor who prescribed it.

Fill out the paperwork

Your kit includes a requisition form. Fill it out. This is the step people skip, and a kit that arrives without it gets held up at the lab.

How to fill out your requisition form

Collect your samples

Follow the collection times in your kit exactly. Set alarms if you need to. Collecting an hour off schedule changes what the lab sees.

Let them dry

Samples need to dry completely before you pack them. Follow the drying time in your instructions. Do not rush this and do not seal anything early.

Pack and mail

Put the completed requisition form in the box with your samples. Use the prepaid shipping materials in your kit. Mail Monday through Friday only, and avoid shipping ahead of a holiday.

The three mistakes people make: Forgetting the requisition form. Collecting off schedule. Packing samples before they are fully dry.

GI-MAP

Collected entirely at home. One sample. The simplest panel we offer.

Before you start

Read the instruction sheet in your kit. Ask your practitioner whether you should pause any supplements or medications beforehand, and never stop a prescription without asking the doctor who prescribed it.

Pick your day

Collect Monday through Thursday. Your sample needs to reach the lab without sitting over a weekend. Do not collect on a Friday, and avoid the days before a holiday.