Your GP has a 6-week wait and probably won't test half the markers you need. Medichecks will have your results in 48 hours, reviewed by a qualified doctor, with no referral required.
I have used Medichecks 11 times in four years. I know exactly which panel to order, what the results actually tell you, and where the service falls short.
What Medichecks actually is
Medichecks is the UK's largest private blood testing provider. They are not a clinic, they do not prescribe or treat. They test. You order online, either do a finger-prick at home or book a venous draw at one of their 600+ partner clinics, post the sample back, and receive results online within 24 to 48 hours.
Every result is reviewed by a qualified doctor before it is released to you. That is the detail that separates them from most competitors.
The parent company is Dante Labs, a regulated European diagnostics group. Medichecks uses accredited NHS-grade pathology labs to run analyses. The results are reliable.
Which panel to order
There are three hormone panels worth knowing about.
Advanced Male Hormone, this is the one to order for a first comprehensive assessment. It covers total testosterone, SHBG, free testosterone (calculated), oestradiol, LH, FSH, prolactin, thyroid (TSH, free T3, free T4), and full blood count. Around £99.
Ultimate Performance, adds cortisol, metabolic panel, lipids, kidney and liver function. Worth it if you want a full-body snapshot rather than just hormones. Around £149.
Testosterone Balance, total testosterone, SHBG, free testosterone, oestradiol only. The budget option. Around £79. Good if you just want the essentials.
Order the Advanced Male Hormone, not the basic testosterone test. SHBG, LH, FSH, and oestradiol are what turn a number into an actionable result. A total testosterone of 16 nmol/L means something very different depending on what your SHBG and LH are doing.
Finger-prick vs venous draw
Medichecks offers both. Finger-prick is done at home, you prick your finger, fill a collection card, post it back. Venous draw costs an extra £25–35 and involves a trained phlebotomist taking blood from your arm at one of their clinic partners.
The difference in accuracy is real but smaller than most people think. For a first test, or for checking whether you are broadly deficient, finger-prick is fine. For TRT monitoring, or if your first test came back borderline and you want confidence in a retest, venous is worth the extra cost.
My first Medichecks result came back at 8.4 nmol/L total testosterone. I had done a finger-prick test at 7am, fasted, before training. The venous retest two weeks later confirmed 8.1. Both were accurate. I went on to confirm the result with my GP and start investigating further. That first Medichecks test changed everything I did next.
How results are presented
You get an online dashboard and a downloadable PDF. Each marker shows your result, the reference range, and a flag (normal, low, or high). The doctor review adds a brief written interpretation, if your oestradiol is elevated, if your LH is suppressed, if your SHBG is very high relative to your total testosterone, the doctor will flag it.
You can also request a GP letter at no extra cost. That lets you take your Medichecks results to your NHS GP and ask them to engage, some will, some won't, but the letter gives you something concrete to work with.
Turnaround is typically 24 to 48 hours from when they receive the sample. Post it first class on a Monday or Tuesday and you will almost certainly have results by Wednesday.
What Medichecks does well
The doctor review is the main one. Every result is looked at by a qualified doctor before release. Competitors like Thriva and LetsGetChecked do not offer this as standard, you are left staring at numbers trying to interpret them yourself.
Speed is the other. Six-week NHS wait times versus 48-hour turnaround. If you have symptoms and want answers, that gap matters.
The panel comprehensiveness is strong. The NHS will typically run total testosterone only. Medichecks gives you free testosterone (calculated), SHBG, oestradiol, LH, FSH, prolactin, the markers that actually explain what you are feeling.
Where it falls short
Medichecks is a testing service, not a clinical pathway. If your results come back showing low testosterone and elevated LH, Medichecks tells you that. They do not tell you what to do next, or refer you to a specialist, or prescribe anything. You need a doctor for that.
The reference ranges can also be frustratingly wide. The NHS normal range for testosterone is 8 to 29 nmol/L. Medichecks uses similar population-based ranges. A man at 9 nmol/L and a man at 26 nmol/L are both technically "normal." The doctor review helps, but interpreting where you sit within a range relative to your age, symptoms, and SHBG still requires clinical context.
Medichecks vs the alternatives
For a first comprehensive panel, Medichecks is the right choice. If you are already on TRT and want the best longitudinal tracking dashboard, Forth has the edge. If you want a nurse to come to your door, Lola Health is worth the premium.
When to use Medichecks
Never tested before: Advanced Male Hormone panel. Venous draw if you can. Get the full picture before making any decisions.
Investigating symptoms (low energy, low libido, poor sleep, poor body composition): Ultimate Performance panel. The metabolic and thyroid markers add important context.
On TRT, monitoring: Every 8 to 12 weeks minimum. Venous draw. Track oestradiol and haematocrit as well as testosterone.
Budget-conscious starting point: Testosterone Balance panel from £79. Gets you total T, SHBG, free T calculated. Not as comprehensive but a solid first data point.
For more on interpreting results, I have written a detailed guide on reading your testosterone blood test results.
The honest verdict
Medichecks is genuinely excellent at what it does. Accessible, fast, accurate, doctor-reviewed. The Advanced Male Hormone panel is the right test for most men who want to understand their hormone health without going through the NHS.
The limitation is what it is: a test, not a diagnosis. Use it to gather data. Take that data to a doctor, whether NHS or private, to decide what to do with it.
Further reading
- Medichecks vs Thriva vs Forth, full comparison
- How to interpret your testosterone blood test results
- Best TRT clinics UK if your results show low testosterone
- Best blood tests for men UK 2026, all services compared
Affiliate disclosure: This article contains affiliate links to Medichecks. If you purchase through these links, Male Optimal earns a small commission at no extra cost to you. This does not affect recommendations.
