Traditionally performed in physician offices and laboratories, blood tests are one of the useful tools that are used for diagnosing or uncovering disorders in the human body. They can detect abnormalities by measurements of many substances that when found to be very high or low may indicate a variety of diseases. 

During the diagnostic process, blood tests are one of the procedures ordered that may help to rule out other diseases and disorders. These conditions can include gynecological conditions such as cancers, sexually transmitted diseases and pregnancy.

The four main types of blood tests include hematology tests, biochemistry tests, microbiology tests and serology tests. Depending on the amount of blood required for the test, blood can be drawn from a vein puncture (venipuncture), artery puncture (arterial puncture) or skin puncture.

Blood tests can be completed in a physician’s office, laboratory or medical facility. Blood is usually drawn by a phlebotomist, who is a medical assistant trained in the procedure. It may be drawn by other healthcare professionals, such as a physician, nurse or lab technician.

Obtaining a blood sample only takes about five minutes and most patients find blood tests to be relatively painless. Some blood tests may require fasting or other preparation, however, for most blood tests, there is very little preparation beforehand, and people can generally return to their usual daily activities following testing.