The Fast Facts
- Everlywell offers several at-home STI tests, including for trichomoniasis, chlamydia and gonorrhea, hepatitis C, and syphilis, plus comprehensive male STI panels.
- At-home STI tests provide convenience and privacy, but they may not always be as accurate as in-person testing. The FDA advises that at-home tests should support, not replace, regular healthcare visits.
- Everlywell’s tests offer discreet packaging and fast turnaround times. If your results are positive, you receive a free virtual consultation with a board certified doctor to discuss treatment options.
Everlywell is a digital health testing company that began in 2015. It offers consumers access to home laboratory testing.
This health and wellness company provides 32 tests for various health issues. It allows you to screen for different sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including trichomoniasis, chlamydia, gonorrhea, hepatitis C, syphilis, and HIV, all from the comfort of your home.
According to the
If you’re sexually active, having access to home-testing services is one of the most proactive ways to put you in control of your sexual health and overall well-being.
Pros
- It’s convenient. By ordering these testing kits, you can check for different STIs without ever having to leave your home.
- They’re discreet. Everlywell ensures that all testing kits arrive in discreet packaging.
- It’s easy to receive results. After submitting your test, results should be digitally delivered within 5 business days. You can check your results on their online platform.
- They’re in-depth. The tests provide in-depth information about your body, along with resources and access to doctors to help you better understand your results.
- You can speak with a doctor. With your purchase of a testing kit, you get a free virtual consultation with an independent board certified doctor in your state if your results come back positive.
- It gives you better control over your sexual health. By taking at-home STI tests, you have more privacy and control.
Cons
- It’s expensive. It could be a cost-effective option if you don’t have health insurance or if going for a doctor’s visit is more expensive. However, test costs range from $49 to $149.
- Some reviewers weren’t happy with the service. There have been instances of inaccurate test results.
- Only you can take the samples. For some testing kits, you have to prick your finger to draw blood, so if you’re afraid of needles, this may not work for you.
- At-home STI tests aren’t always accurate. Self-collection samples aren’t always the most precise. While Everlywell’s labs meet CLIA standards, not all tests are FDA-approved.
Order your kit
You can request any of their at-home STI test kits online.
To ensure your order matches your unique health needs, a board certified doctor reviews and approves your request before it’s shipped to your address.
The kit usually arrives within 3 to 5 business days after your order.
Register your kit
After the kit arrives, you’ll register it on their website using the unique ID number. This registration process allows them to link your account to their HIPAA-compliant platform to the test.
Take your sample
After registering, you may want to watch videos that tell you how to take your sample. The kit also comes with every tool you may need to take it.
You may need to take a saliva, blood, vaginal, or urine sample depending on the STI test you chose.
After collecting your sample, you then lock it in the biohazard bag that comes with the package.
Send your sample to the lab
Every kit has a prepaid shipping label so you can send your sample to their lab for testing.
According to Everlywell, all their labs are
Get your results
You’ll get a notification from their online platform when the lab starts processing your sample. When your results are ready, you’ll receive another notification via email, which directs you to check your results on their digital platform. You can download your results, including the “doctor’s version,” which you can share with your primary care practitioner.
In some cases, you may not get a clear result. But this is usually rare and mainly occurs if the infection is at its early stages or if the sample provided isn’t enough. When this happens, repeat testing may be recommended.
If your results show positive, a board certified doctor within the Everlywell network will reach out to you to evaluate your results and recommend treatment if necessary, at no extra cost.
According to Everlywell, they are required by law to report results to state health authorities for disease tracking and prevalence.
Everlywell STI tests are available in 49 states except for New York, which has specific laws in place that regulate at-home testing.
Everlywell offers 6 STI tests:
- Trichomoniasis test
- Chlamydia and gonorrhea test
- Hepatitis C test
- Syphilis test
- Male STI test
They also offer a sexual health membership called Current. This membership runs on a monthly subscription, and for $14.99 you get:
- 1 STI test every month
- If your results come out positive, you get a doctor’s consultation to discuss your needs and get medication recommendations when necessary.
Everlywell has grown in popularity in the past 6 years as a go-to home laboratory testing company for various health issues.
Many users commend their discreet packaging, the turnaround time between sending out their samples and getting their results, and their straightforward guide on taking the samples.
According to one user’s testimony, “The test itself came very professionally and discreetly packaged. The tests were explained and demonstrated clearly through print and video. The results came back much more quickly than I expected too! A wonderful, discreet, and effective way to perform regular STI screenings.”
However, some users also complained about getting inaccurate results, receiving their results too late without any explanations, and poor communication from the Everlywell customer service team.
Although Everlywell is not Better Business Bureau (BBB) accredited, it has an A+ rating on its site. That said, the rating doesn’t reflect customer reviews. A BBB rating typically looks at how businesses create and maintain trust and whether or not a company treats the public in a fair and honest way.
Everlywell has an at-home STI testing service that many people trust. But are there other home-testing companies that measure up to or are above Everlywell’s standards?
Let’s take a look at these three at-home laboratory test companies.
Chlamydia and gonorrhea test
Hepatitis C test
Syphilis test
Male STI test
gonorrhea
trichomoniasis
HIV
syphilis
gardnerella
mycoplasma
ureaplasma
HIV-2
herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1)
herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2)
hepatitis A
hepatitis B
hepatitis C
gonorrhea
syphilis
chlamydia
gonorrhea
herpes
hepatitis B
hepatitis C
HIV
HPV
mycoplasma
syphilis
trichomoniasis
Going to the doctor’s every time you’re curious about your health status or concerned about a possible infection may not be feasible. This is where at-home STI tests come in. You no longer have to sacrifice convenience, time, and privacy to be in control of your sexual health.
At-home STI tests may be relatively expensive and do not provide all the benefits of in-person STI testing. However, they empower you with knowledge of your body and sexual health, allowing you to be a responsible sexually active person, all from the comfort of your home.
Most of the time, Everlywell STI tests are reliable. Results are reviewed by an independent board certified doctor in your state. Their laboratories meet the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) standards, so you can trust that your samples are in safe hands, just as if they’re with your primary care doctor.
Everlywell’s digital platform is HIPAA-compliant, which means you never have to worry about the security and privacy of your data.
Plus, if your STI test results come back positive, a doctor from the Everlywell network will reach out and discuss any of your concerns and available treatment options with you.
You’ll have to ask your health insurance provider to find out if at-home health tests are covered, but they typically are. However, Everlywell recommends verifying the purchase with your network, especially if you have a restrictive plan.
While some insurance networks may reimburse you for your at-home testing kit, Everlywell is not currently partnered with any. They are also not enrolled with Medicaid and are not eligible for Medicaid reimbursement.
Studies also suggest that at-home testing may be an effective way to scale up STI testing. However, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advises that at-home tests should only support your healthcare efforts and should not replace regular visits to your doctor. They may only be suited as an alternative method when in-person testing may be inconvenient, time-consuming, and pricey.
What’s more, according to the British Journal of General Practice, people who take their tests from their homes are more likely to be ‘worried well’ (have consistent concerns about their health) than those who would instead visit a doctor. This makes it particularly important for anyone using at-home STI tests to consider contacting their doctor about their results before taking further steps.
At-home STI testing is a step forward in improving STI testing rates, and anyone who is sexually active can benefit from using the services of home testing companies. However, this testing method shouldn’t stop you from making periodic visits to your doctor.
Check in with your doctor to explain your test results immediately after receiving them before anything else.