Check your cholesterol without a doctor's referral
LDL, HDL, and Triglycerides: your cardiovascular risk markers.
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Included Markers
3 markersTriglycerides, LDL Cholesterol, HDL Cholesterol
Want to buy a cholesterol test to find out how the fats in your blood are doing? That is a completely understandable question, and there is no need to make it more complicated than it is.
Your cholesterol and triglycerides are part of your body's daily work, but they also say something about your heart and blood vessels. A lipid panel gives you a factual overview of your LDL, HDL and triglycerides, so you know where you stand.
Why this test?
Cholesterol has its reputation for a reason: it plays a role in your heart and blood vessels. Yet not all cholesterol is the same. A lipid panel breaks it down, so you see more than a single total number.
Together, your LDL, HDL and triglycerides say something about markers linked to cardiovascular risk. If you want to measure your cholesterol, this test gives you a clear starting point to work from.
Who is this test for?
This test can be useful if you are curious about your cholesterol, for example because it runs in your family or because you have not looked at it in a while.
It can also be valuable around hormonal changes. Around menopause your cholesterol sometimes shifts along with your changing hormones, something many women are not aware of. A measurement can then give you a bit more insight into your own situation.
What is tested?
This test looks at three values in your blood:
- LDL Cholesterol: often described as the cholesterol that can build up in your blood vessels.
- HDL Cholesterol: helps to carry cholesterol away from your blood vessels.
- Triglycerides: a type of fat in your blood that is linked, among other things, to what you eat and drink.
Together, these three values make up your lipid profile.
What can this test tell you?
Your result shows how your values compare to a reference range. This gives you a more nuanced view than your total cholesterol alone.
By measuring your LDL cholesterol alongside your HDL and triglycerides, you build a fuller lipid profile. It remains a single snapshot, which says the most in combination with your lifestyle, your age and your wider situation.
How is the sample collected?
This test requires a small blood draw at a certified lab. In the Netherlands you can choose from 700+ sample points across the country.
After ordering, you pick a location near you and schedule a moment that suits you. The draw itself usually takes only a few minutes, and you do not need a referral from your GP.
When is this test useful?
A lipid panel can be valuable at different moments, for example:
- when you want to know how your cholesterol is doing
- when cardiovascular conditions run in your family
- around menopause, when your cholesterol may move along with your hormones
- when you have adjusted your lifestyle and want to measure your triglycerides to see where you stand
If you want to buy a cholesterol test, you can do so easily online, without a referral and at a moment that suits you.
What do the results mean?
Your result shows your LDL, HDL and triglycerides, each with a reference range. What counts as usual can vary slightly by laboratory.
A value outside the range can mean different things and does not say everything on its own. The doctor helps you place your cholesterol test in the right context, so you understand what you see.
What happens after the results?
Your result is usually available online within a few working days. Each value is shown clearly with a reference range and an explanation, so you understand what you see.
Every blood test result includes a professional assessment from a BIG-registered doctor. For treatment decisions, discuss your results with your GP.
Frequently Asked Questions
A lipid panel is a blood test for your blood lipids. This panel measures your HDL cholesterol, your LDL cholesterol and your triglycerides.
No single value is dangerous on its own. For non-fasting blood the Dutch NHG guideline uses 5.0 mmol/l as the cut-off for total cholesterol, so a reading of 4.4 sits below it while 5.4 and 6.2 fall in the band above it. That band runs to 8.0 mmol/l, so even 7.8 is below the point where a doctor would start considering an inherited lipid disorder.
There is no single normal LDL value, because what is desirable depends on your overall cardiovascular risk. As a general target the Dutch NVKC uses an LDL below 3.0 mmol/l and an HDL above 1.55 mmol/l. For non-fasting triglycerides the cut-off is 2.0 mmol/l.
No, fasting is not required. We grade your values against the NHG non-fasting cut-offs, so you can have your blood taken at any time of day. Fasting does give a slightly cleaner triglyceride reading, so it is a bonus if it happens to suit you.
Around menopause your hormones change, and this can also affect your cholesterol. A measurement gives you insight into your values right now, which you can discuss with your GP.
No. This panel measures your HDL cholesterol, your LDL cholesterol and your triglycerides. Your total cholesterol and non-HDL cholesterol are not included.
From order to report in 4 steps
A hormone test without referral: test when you want, not only when symptoms are severe. No waiting list, just order and go.
Choose your hormone test
Browse our hormone panels and pick what you want tested. Compare markers and prices, or build a custom test.
Receive your lab referral
Within 1 business day you'll receive an email from ZorgDomein with a barcode. Orders outside business hours are processed from the next business day.
Get tested at a lab near you
Show the barcode on your phone and bring a valid ID. Done in under 15 minutes.
Receive your report from the doctor
A BIG-registered physician reviews your hormone values and writes a personal report. On your dashboard within a few business days.
Choose your hormone test
Browse our hormone panels and pick what you want tested. Compare markers and prices, or build a custom test.
Receive your lab referral
Within 1 business day you'll receive an email from ZorgDomein with a barcode. Orders outside business hours are processed from the next business day.
Get tested at a lab near you
Show the barcode on your phone and bring a valid ID. Done in under 15 minutes.
Receive your report from the doctor
A BIG-registered physician reviews your hormone values and writes a personal report. On your dashboard within a few business days.
Always a location near you
With 700+ certified phlebotomy points across the Netherlands.
What We Test
This test includes 3 biomarkers to give you a comprehensive health picture.
| No. | Biomarker | Unit | Turnaround |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Triglycerides Triglycerides are the most common type of fat in the body, used for energy storage. Elevated levels may be associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease, especially when combined with other lipid abnormalities. | mmol/l | 1 day |
| 02 | LDL Cholesterol LDL cholesterol is the amount of cholesterol carried inside LDL particles, the particles that can build up in the artery wall. That is where its nickname comes from: the bad cholesterol. Two things rarely appear on a report. First, in a routine lipid panel LDL is usually not measured but calculated from your total cholesterol, your HDL and your triglycerides. Second, the 3.0 mmol/l upper limit is a population reference interval, not a target. What counts as a good LDL for you is decided by your overall cardiovascular risk, not by the line printed on the page. | mmol/l | 1 day |
| 03 | HDL Cholesterol HDL cholesterol is the amount of cholesterol carried inside the HDL particles in your blood. Those particles pick cholesterol up from your tissues and from the artery wall and take it back to the liver. That transport is what earned HDL the nickname good cholesterol. The nickname is misleading. HDL is above all a mirror of your metabolism: the value drops with excess weight, insulin resistance, smoking and inactivity, and it is those factors that carry the risk. Drugs that raise HDL substantially do not reduce the number of cardiovascular events. And more is not always better: at very high values, mortality in large population studies turns back upwards. So never read your HDL on its own. It only takes on meaning alongside your triglycerides, your LDL and your overall risk profile. | mmol/l | 1 day |
| Your result arrives once the slowest test is finished: 1 days. This is indicative; turnaround varies per laboratory. | |||
Preparation
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No alcohol beforehand
RequiredDrink no alcohol in the 24 hours before the draw.
-
Preferably fasting
RecommendedComing fasting gives a slightly cleaner value, but it is not required. If it suits you, eat nothing from 22:00 the evening before and drink only water.
- Water is always fine. Drink as usual beforehand, it makes the draw easier.
- Take your usual medication, unless your own doctor told you otherwise.
Extend this panel
Tests from the same field, run on the same sample. Same draw, no second appointment.
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