Wellness Corner

It is increasingly common to see at-home medical tests available for a range of different medical issues. Whereas pregnancy tests used to be about the only thing that you could do at home yourself, it's now possible to do at-home testing for everything from HIV to menopause.

There are some great things about doing this kind of at-home testing. The major benefits are that you're going to get peace of mind and you're going to get it with convenience. You may be worrying that you're going crazy because you're emotions are all out of whack; an at-home test can tell you that the issue is menopause and get your mind back on the right track.

However, there are also drawbacks to doing at-home testing. First of all, the results are never going to be as accurate as if you do testing with a medical professional. Additionally, the test results don't tell you what to do about the issue. For example, you may need hormone replacement therapy to assist with mitigating the impact of menopause on the body. A test can't tell you that.

These at-home tests definitely offer peace of mind but they should only be a first step in the process of figuring out what to do about your health. You should follow up with a doctor to discuss the findings of any tests that you do at home.

Question of the Day: What procedure do you wish had an at-home test available for it?

photo link