How to prepare for blood test

Recommendations for how to prepare for blood test:

• Avoid drinking or eating anything for 8-12 hours before the test. You may drink only water.
• You should not eat 3 hours before the clinical blood test.
• Eat less fatty and fried food, and avoid alcohol 1-2 days prior to the test.
• Don’t smoke 1 hour prior to the test.
• Enzyme and hormone levels vary depending on the time of day, so these tests should be performed before 10 a.m. unless your doctor indicates otherwise.
• Avoid any physical activity and stress prior to your blood test. It is recommended that you calm down and relax for 10-15 minutes and think about nothing during the withdrawal.
• If you are planning to start using medication, perform tests before or after treatment, and no sooner than 10-14 days post-treatment. If you are taking any medication, tell your doctor or laboratory specialist.
• Blood testing is not recommended after massage therapy, reflexotherapy or physiotherapy.
• Women’s hormones fluctuate during the menstrual cycle and these fluctuations can influence the results of hormonal testing. For this reason, during preparation for a sex hormone test, it is necessary to indicate the cycle phase and follow the doctor’s recommendations on which cycle day to choose for testing.
• When testing the blood for infections, it is necessary to take into account the stage of infection development and the state of immunity. A negative test result does not necessarily show that there is no infection. If laboratory test results cause doubts, it is appropriate to repeat the test in 3-5 days. It is best to perform infection tests 10-14 days after the onset of disease, when antibody production is the most active.