🩸 Metabolic Lab Test

The metabolic lab test will help you and your provider understand your blood sugar, thyroid health, kidney health, and cholesterol, all of which are connected to your weight and metabolism.

This information helps inform your personalized treatment plan as part of the Body Program. The following blood tests are done and will show up on your report: Hemoglobin, TSH, LDL Cholesterol, HDL Cholesterol, Total Cholesterol, Blood Urea Nitrogen (BUN), Creatinine, and Triglycerides.

If your Ro-affiliated provider asks you to complete a lab test, outside bloodwork cannot substitute or replace it. This means that if your provider orders a test, you must complete it before proceeding with the program. 

But in addition to a test through the Body Program, you’re welcome to share any prior bloodwork with your provider or email it to [email protected], and we'll forward it along.

We’ve seen patients go through the lab test process from start to finish in about 10 days via Quest and 15 days via the at-home collection kit. But this time frame can be shorter or faster depending on how quickly you complete your test. A provider consultation typically occurs within 7-10 days of results returning.   

Fasting is not required for your lab tests.

You can find the status of your metabolic test results going to the Labs tab in your Ro account. It's the fastest and easiest way to see what's going on with any lab work you do through Ro.

Your provider will review your results and they’ll live in your medical records. After reviewing your labs to determine if GLP-1 medications are safe and appropriate for you, your provider will correspond with you about next steps in your treatment journey.

When you access your lab results in your Ro account, you may see that some values are flagged as “high” or “low" (which comes directly from the lab), but then your provider reports that your values are “normal.” We know this can be confusing! Labs have what are called reference ranges, which are specific ranges and intervals established by the lab and based on the equipment used. However, these ranges are not always the same as what’s within normal limits clinically — for determining whether this may have an impact on your health. When your provider reviews your results, they’ll look at them in the context of you and your medical history to determine the impact on your health. If you have additional questions, you can always send a message to your provider for more guidance.

If you choose to test at home, you’ll get a collection kit in the mail within 2 days. Once you’ve completed your blood collection and mailed it back, you can expect results within 7 days. This includes 2 days for the return shipping and 5 days for the lab to process your sample. 

Read our guide on the at-home collection experience, including how to prepare and what to expect.

Collected and packaged blood samples can be returned to any local UPS drop off location. You can find a location here, and use the return label already attached to the at-home collection kit box. Please drop off to UPS on the same day you collect the blood sample.

You can call or go to the UPS website to schedule a pickup. We recommend scheduling pickup for the same day you collect the sample so it remains stable during transit. Also, make sure to let UPS know that you have a pre-paid label for your package.

You can also look up a UPS Access Point, a local business that can ship UPS packages. If you use an access point, you may not receive tracking information, and we cannot guarantee that it will make it to the lab within the at-home kit's stability window.

The sensor is needed to track temperatures as your sample ships back to the lab. Do not remove or press the button on the temperature sensor. If removed or turned off, your test will be invalidated.

Samples for testing can be voided for several reasons. For example, if the temperature sensor in your collection kit indicates that your sample was exposed to high temperatures or if a component of your collection kit malfunctions, the sample will need to be voided. However, the most common reason a sample testing is voided is due to shipping delays with the mail carrier, as a sample may become unusable if too much time passes before it can be tested. If your sample is voided, contact [email protected], and we can ship a replacement collection kit. Alternatively, if you have a Quest location nearby, we can also help you obtain a blood draw at a local Quest. 

You’ll receive a confirmation email when your provider orders your metabolic test. The subject of this email will be: 'It's time to schedule your metabolic lab test.'

After you receive this email, you can schedule a visit at your nearest Quest Diagnostics location. 

When making an appointment, select "All Other Tests" as your reason for visiting.  If asked about insurance, select "The person being treated doesn't have insurance." The cost of your test is included in your Body Program fee, so you won't need to provide insurance information at your appointment.

You'll also need to take a digital or physical printout of your lab order form to your appointment. To download your form, go to Labs in your Ro account. Make sure to show your lab order form to the staff at Quest.

After your appointment, you'll receive a confirmation when your specimen is processed, and your results are ready. In your Ro account, you’ll receive a message with a link that you can use to schedule time with a Ro-affiliated provider to review your results and discuss whether GLP-1 medication is right for you.

The cost of your test is included in your Body Program fee, so you won't need to pay or provide insurance information at your appointment.

If your lab order isn't available at Quest, your initial payment for the Body Program likely failed. Please check if your payment went through, and if it did, you should be able to access your lab order here. If you do not see that your payment went through, you won't be able to complete testing at Quest until payment is processed. 

If you need to update your payment information, you can follow these instructions or contact the Care Team by email at [email protected]. Once your payment information is updated, it may take a few days for your lab order to be available. You should wait to receive an email from Ro stating 'It's time to schedule your metabolic lab test' before you reschedule with Quest.

Yes, if you don’t think you’ll be able to complete the at-home test with our instructions, please contact us and we can help you to switch to a Quest blood draw.