Cholesterol is a fat-like substance that your body naturally produces, but is also present in a wide selection of animal-based foods, such as dairy and meat. Although a nominal amount of this compound is essential to your health, in excess, it can lead to detrimental health conditions such as coronary disease, atherosclerosis, heart attack and stroke. Monitoring your intake of cholesterol, as well as your current cholesterol count can help dictate your next plan of action. Whether you choose to visit your doctor or take an in-home test, quantifying your cholesterol is necessary to prevent complications to your health.
Step 1
Buy a home cholesterol test kit in accordance with the cholesterol count you want. For example, some in-home tests screen for low-density liporotein, or bad cholesterol, while others screen for high-density lipoprotein, or good cholesterol, or both. Certain kits even test for triglyceride levels. If you want a comprehensive cholesterol count, buy a kit that screens all three. Read the labels to ensure you purchase the correct test kit at your pharmacy.
Step 2
Wash your hands to remove any impurities that can interfere with the blood sampling. Use warm water to increase the circulation to this area.
Step 3
Put your hand on a table or flat surface and use the provided tool to make a small puncture to one of your fingers. Generally, you'll want to use your middle or ring finger, as these tend to have softer skin.
Step 4
Collect the blood from the puncture site and put it on the testing strip provided in the kit.
Step 5
Wait for the cholesterol reading to appear on the screen of your device. This will take between 10 to 15 minutes, but will vary depending on your cholesterol kit.
Step 6
Read the cholesterol chart that comes with your kit and compare it to your counts. The cholesterol counts will generally be in the same fashion as in the doctor's office.
Step 7
Visit your doctor regularly to ensure accurate cholesterol counts. Ideally, you should have a cholesterol screening once a year starting at 20 years old. Although in-home test are convenient, many factors can affect its accuracy. A doctor will generally require you to fast for about 12 to 13 hours prior to testing and will send your sample to a lab for thorough testing.
Tips and Warnings
- Ideal total cholesterol counts should fall below 200 mg/dL, with 200 to 238 mg/dL being borderline-high and 240 mg/dL and above being high. LDL counts should be below 100 mg/dL for ideal, 100 mg/dL to 129 mg/dL as near ideal, 130 mg/dL to 159 mg/dL for borderline and 160 mg/dL and above as high. HDL levels should ideally be 60 mg/dL and above, as this cholesterol can protect against heart disease. In men, 40 mg/dL and in women, 50 mg/dL and below is a major risk factor for heart disease.
