How Do I Read and Understand My Lab Results?
Got your lab results back and not sure what they mean? Here's how to use your GoodLabs Health dashboard to understand your results, what reference ranges mean, and when to talk to a doctor.
Where to View Your Results
Your results are available on your Health dashboard:
Log in at app.goodlabs.com
Go to your Health dashboard at app.goodlabs.com/biomarkers
Click on any biomarker to see your detailed result, reference range, and trend over time
What Do Reference Ranges Mean?
Each lab result comes with a reference range — the range of values considered normal for most healthy adults. For example:
Within range: Your result falls within the expected normal range
Out of range (high or low): Your result is above or below the reference range
Important: Being slightly out of range doesn't necessarily mean something is wrong. Reference ranges are based on population averages, and individual variation is normal. Factors like age, sex, diet, hydration, and time of day can all affect results.
Using the AI Health Insights
Your GoodLabs Health dashboard includes AI-powered insights that can help you understand your results:
Biomarker explanations: Each biomarker has a description explaining what it measures and why it matters
Trend tracking: If you've taken the same test before, you can see how your levels have changed over time
Contextual information: The dashboard provides context about what can affect each biomarker
When Should I Talk to a Doctor?
We always recommend discussing your results with a healthcare provider, especially if:
Any results are significantly out of range
You have symptoms that concern you
You're not sure what your results mean for your specific health situation
You want to make changes to medications or supplements based on your results
Note: GoodLabs provides lab testing and educational information, but we do not provide medical advice or diagnoses. Your results are a tool to help you and your doctor make informed decisions about your health.
My Results Look Different from What I Expected
A few things to keep in mind:
Fasting vs. non-fasting: Some tests (like glucose and lipid panels) are affected by whether you fasted before your blood draw. If you didn't fast when required, results may be higher than expected.
Test methodology: Different labs may use slightly different testing methods, which can produce slightly different numbers. This is normal.
Units of measurement: Make sure you're comparing results using the same units (e.g., ng/dL vs. pg/mL).
I'm Missing Some Results or Biomarkers
If your results seem incomplete:
Results arrive on a rolling basis. Some tests take longer than others. Check back in a few days for additional results.
Check your filters: Make sure you don't have any filters enabled on your Health dashboard that might hide certain biomarkers.
PDF results: Your full lab report is also available as a PDF in your account. Check there for any results that might not be displayed on the dashboard.
If you believe results are genuinely missing after 16 business days, contact our support team.