From question to clear answer, in six steps.
No waiting rooms, no chasing referrals, no decoding a lab printout alone. Here is exactly what happens when you order a KnowLuna test.
01. Choose your test
Pick the panel that fits your question: fertility, cycles and hormones, PCOS, or perimenopause and menopause. Each page tells you exactly what's measured, who it's for, and what it can and can't tell you. Transparent price, self-pay, no Medicare card needed.
02. A doctor requests it: yours or ours
I have a doctor's request
- Download our request form for the panel and take it to your GP or specialist, or upload the request they have already written.
- We check the request and send you collection instructions.
- Results go to you and to your doctor.
Use a KnowLuna doctor
- Answer a short health questionnaire at checkout.
- A KnowLuna doctor who works only in women's health reviews it and issues the request, usually within one business day. If a test isn't right for you, we say so and refund you in full.
- Your results consult is included.
03. Collect your way
Choose at checkout. Collection centre (included): your request goes to an accredited pathology network with centres across Australia, we show you the closest ones, and the draw takes under ten minutes. Home kit: swab and saliva tests are posted to you with a prepaid return satchel (included); finger-prick blood kits from $29, or $59 with a near-painless upper-arm device, once our laboratory completes its validation. Nurse home visit ($129, metro areas): a registered nurse comes to you for a standard draw, for any test including NIPT. Either way we tell you the preparation that matters, like fasting or cycle timing.
04. The lab does its work
Routine pathology is processed by a NATA/RCPA-accredited Australian laboratory, the same accreditation standard behind the pathology your GP orders, and results are typically ready within a few business days. Genomic tests are performed by an accredited specialist genomics laboratory, in Australia or overseas; we name the laboratory and where it is on the test page before you order, and genomic results take longer (see the turnaround table below).
05. Results, explained
Your results land in your secure KnowLuna account in plain English: what each marker is, where yours sits, and what it means in context. With Option 2, a KnowLuna doctor then talks them through with you and outlines sensible next steps. With Option 1, your own doctor receives the results and manages follow-up, and you can add a KnowLuna consult any time.
Where you are collected
You choose how you are collected when you order. The collection centre network has locations in every state and territory and is included in every price. Where a test allows it you can instead have a home kit posted to you, or book a nurse home visit. Whichever you choose, the sample is handled, transported and analysed to the same accredited laboratory standard. Use the finder above to see the centres closest to you before you order.
Some tests work slightly differently. A semen analysis is produced at the laboratory, or produced at home and delivered within an hour, and the laboratory sends you its instructions with your request. Genomic and swab tests such as carrier screening, pharmacogenomic profiling and the vaginal microbiome test default to a home kit posted to you, with a collection centre as the alternative. Cycle mapping uses a series of dried blood spot cards collected at home across one cycle.
Genomic tests: what is different
NIPT, carrier screening, hereditary cancer panels and pharmacogenomic profiling are sequenced by an accredited specialist genomics laboratory rather than the routine pathology laboratory. Three things follow from that. First, most of them start from a saliva kit posted to you (NIPT and the fetal RhD test need a blood draw, at a collection centre or with a visiting nurse). Second, they take longer: sequencing runs in batches and a genetic counsellor may be involved before a result is released. Third, we name the laboratory, its accreditation and the country it is in on each test page before ordering opens, and you consent to that before you order. The laboratory receives your sample and a KnowLuna sample number, never your name or contact details, and destroys the sample and raw sequencing data after reporting. Your results are held only on Australian systems.
How long results take
Turnaround is measured from the day your sample reaches the laboratory, not from the day you order. These are typical windows rather than guarantees, and your account shows the status of each test as it moves.
| Test type | Typical turnaround | What can slow it down |
|---|---|---|
| Single markers (thyroid, iron studies, vitamin D, progesterone, hCG) | 1 to 3 business days | Public holidays, or a repeat run if a sample is unsuitable |
| Hormone, PCOS, perimenopause and symptom-led panels | 2 to 5 business days | Markers that run in batches, or a second collection for timing |
| Semen analysis | 1 to 3 business days | Collection timing, since assessment must begin quickly |
| NIPT (standard and genome-wide) | About 5 to 10 business days | A low reading of placental DNA, which can require a redraw; transit to the laboratory |
| Single-gene NIPT and fetal RhD | About 7 to 14 business days | Specialised sequencing; a redraw if placental DNA is low |
| Carrier screening (three-gene and expanded), hereditary cancer panels, pharmacogenomic profiling | About 2 to 4 weeks | Genomic processing, and genetic counselling being arranged |
Ranges vary by laboratory; your report shows the range your lab uses. Typical ranges on this page are drawn from Pathology Tests Explained (RCPA) and the sources listed below.
Indicative business-day windows for planning only; your account shows the current status of your test.
What your doctor's request looks like
A pathology request is a one-page form naming you, the requesting doctor and their provider number, and the exact tests to be performed. It is what the collection centre works from, and it is why testing cannot be ordered without a registered practitioner behind it.
With Option 1 you download the request form for the panel you want, take it to your GP or specialist, and upload it signed. Your own doctor receives the results as well. With Option 2 a KnowLuna doctor issues the request after reviewing your questionnaire, and you never see the paperwork. Either way the form lists every marker, so you can check exactly what is being collected before you go. If you want to compare the two routes properly, read KnowLuna versus GP-ordered pathology and blood tests without a GP referral in Australia.
06. What happens after
A result is a beginning. Depending on what it shows and what you want, the next step might be nothing at all, a repeat test in a few months, a referral to your GP or a specialist, or ongoing care through your KnowLuna doctor with re-test reminders and your history in one place. You can share your report with your own GP in one click. See a sample report, or read how KnowLuna compares with going through your GP.
Sources and further reading
- Healthdirect: understanding pathology tests
- Healthdirect: blood testing
- Pathology Tests Explained (RCPA): test index
General information only, not medical advice. A blood test is one input to a doctor's assessment, not a diagnosis on its own. If your symptoms are severe or sudden, see a doctor promptly. Read our medical disclaimer.
Serious where it counts.
How long do blood test results take?
Most routine markers such as thyroid, iron studies and vitamin D are typically ready one to three business days after the laboratory receives your sample. Multi-marker panels usually take two to five. NIPT is about five to ten business days, and genomic tests such as carrier screening take a few weeks. You get an email and an SMS the moment your report is ready.
Can I use a request form from my own GP?
Yes, and it is the cheaper route. Download our request form for the panel you want, have your GP or specialist sign it, and upload it when you order. You pay the test-only price, your results go to you and to your requesting doctor, and you can still add a KnowLuna results consult afterwards if you want one.
Where do I go to have blood taken?
Wherever suits you. The default is an accredited pathology collection centre near you, from a network with centres across Australia, and it is included in the price. Where a test allows it you can choose a home kit or a nurse home visit instead, and you pick at checkout. Once your request is issued we show you the closest centres along with any preparation you need, such as fasting or cycle timing. A standard blood draw usually takes under ten minutes and no appointment is needed at most centres.
What happens in the doctor consult?
A 20-minute video or phone consult with a KnowLuna women's health doctor. They go through each marker, tell you plainly what the result means in your context and what it does not mean, answer your questions, and agree sensible next steps with you, which may be nothing, a repeat test later, or a referral to your GP or a specialist.
Can I order for someone else?
The person being tested has to complete their own questionnaire and consent, because the doctor is assessing them rather than you. Tests are for adults aged 18 and over. Couples often order together, for example a partner semen analysis alongside a fertility panel, and each person completes their own order.