Did you receive a test kit? Here's how to use it.

When you are ready to collect your blood sample, open the kit and lay out all of the supplies.

Everything you need is in the kit.

Step 1

Choose a fingerstick site. The best sites are on the middle finger or ring finger, just off the center of the finger pad. Apply the provided lidocaine cream.

Step 2

Cover it with a bandage. Leave the lidocaine on for 15 minutes.

Step 3

Clean the site with the alcohol swab provided and allow it to air-dry.

Step 4

Remove the tip of the sterile lancet, place the lancet against the finger and press firmly. The needle will automatically release.

Do not use a glucose testing lancet, as it won’t provide a large enough sample.

Step 5

Discard the first drop of blood by blotting with a gauze pad.

Step 6

Hold the test tube at a slight incline. To maintain good flow, hold the arm downward and massage the hand.

Don't press too hard around the puncture site, as this could contaminate the sample.

Step 7

Please do your best to fill the tube to the black line. If blood flow stops or slows down, gently massage the hand to restart flow.

If the blood flow stops before the full volume is collected, wipe the gauze gently but firmly across the fingerstick site to restart blood flow.

Step 8

When you are finished collecting the blood sample, stand the tube upright. Give the tube a few gentle taps. Regardless of the amount of blood you collect, please prepare and ship what you have collected.

Step 9

Close the cap of the tube securely. Next, gently turn the tube upside down and then right side up, to mix the blood. Do this 10 times.

Step 10

Use a gauze swab to clean any blood from the finger, then apply the bandage.

Disposal instructions: the used lancet should be discarded following local guidelines for safe needle disposal. Visit safeneedledisposal.org for more information.

You've collected the blood sample; now it's time to prepare your sample for shipping.