Lifeforce Review: How It Works & My Experience

If you’re anything like me, you only get blood work done when something feels off or during an annual physical (if you actually remember to schedule one… I’m pretty terrible at that, myself), but most of the time, your health is left entirely in your own hands. 

Designed for people who want to take better control of their health without necessarily dealing with in-person doctor’s appointments, Lifeforce offers convenient at-home testing and clear, actionable insights to help you improve your overall wellness. 

But how well does it actually deliver, and what does the testing actually cover? I decided to try it out myself to find out.

Lifeforce At A Glance:

• Basic diagnostic lab testing (50+ biomarkers) is $599
• Ongoing membership (which includes quarterly bloodwork) is $149 per month
• Testing can be done at home or at Quest Diagnostics
• Work-up involves one blood draw appointment (several vials)
• Offers additional panels for metabolic, cardiovascular, heavy metals, and brain protection (Alzheimer’s/dementia)
• Provides 1:1 telehealth appointments with a clinician to interpret results, can select gender if preferred
• Creates a personalized plan based on your test results, with health coaching and tracking
• Integrates with Fitbit, Withings, Oura, Garmin, and Whoop wearables if you have one of those.
• Discounts available for supplements and access to prescriptions (including hormone therapy)
• HSA/FSA can be used (via reimbursement), but private insurance is not an option for payment.
• You can download your lab work if you’d like to take your results to your established in-person physician.
• It is not a substitute for having a primary care provider (PCP) or in-town physician, especially if you have a chronic health condition that requires ongoing management.

Optimizing your health isn’t just about treating illness, it’s about understanding your body on a deeper level, and that’s what Lifeforce sets out to do. I’ll take a closer look at how the service works, what you can expect if you sign up, what my results looked like, and whether I think it’s worth the investment.

(TL;DR version: I do think it’s worth it for those who are relatively healthy and health-conscious already.)

My Overall Experience With Lifeforce

Although I see a doctor regularly because I’m someone with a few chronic conditions, I was curious about Lifeforce specifically to see results that aren’t necessarily part of my doctor’s testing. Lifeforce bridges the gap between traditional medicine and proactive, preventative care, offering a lot of biomarker testing that goes beyond what my usual annual bloodwork covers. 

For instance, I never had a testosterone test until it was a part of my labs with Lifeforce. I suppose I could have asked for that at some point, but it isn’t really a standard thing for women.

(Although it should be!)

During the signup process, you’re asked to describe your reasons for using Lifeforce, with a drag-and-drop list to order things based on priority, which I thought was a nice touch:

The entire sign-up process with Lifeforce was simple and straightforward, albeit somewhat lengthy since I’ve got preexisting conditions, past conditions (including a cancer history), past surgeries, and family history that needed to be included. 

The account setup at Lifeforce is a lot like completing any full medical history with a new doctor, so if you’ve got an extensive one, be prepared that it might take you an hour or so to get through.

(And if you’re healthy, good for you! You’ll probably breeze through it way faster than I did!)

The one thing I really appreciated was having the ability to schedule an at-home visit from a phlebotomist. The appointments are scheduled within a two-hour window (just like a cable guy). 

My window was between 10 a.m. and noon, but I received automated texts on the morning of my appointment that let me know their estimated arrival time, along with a second text that alerted me when they actually pulled into my driveway:

That really took the guesswork out of waiting at home, and it’s infinitely faster than going to a physical lab for bloodwork. My phlebotomist was super nice, definitely knew what she was doing, and she was in and out of my living room in eight minutes so I could go about the rest of my day as normal. I’ve never had bloodwork that was that simple.

My diagnostics results from Lifeforce were ready in my dashboard just five days later, and came with a link to schedule a telehealth appointment with a clinician to go over the results and talk about plans to improve my health score.

Speaking of my health score, it was not the best at 57. Although 62% of my biomarkers were optimized, I had several that were out of range (low or high) or in normal range, but not optimal.

What’s great about the Lifeforce dashboard results is that you can click on any result for a deeper explanation about what it is and what your results mean:

You don’t need to have a medical degree (or even a lot of medical knowledge) to decipher what each result means.

That said, if you download the PDF copy of your labs and read that, it is considerably harder to follow since it includes a lot of clinical notes for each result:

For ease in understanding everything, I recommend sticking with the Lifeforce dashboard and reserving the PDF copy of your labs for your doctor, if you need to take one to them at any point.

Your Lifeforce dashboard can connect to wearable health monitors that include Oura, Garmin, Withings, Fitbit, and Whoop, although I have an Apple watch and as of this writing, that isn’t compatible.

(I bet it will be at some point, though.)

Is Lifeforce Accurate?

Overall, yes, I feel that Lifeforce’s lab work is just as accurate as any you’d have done at a doctor’s office or in-person lab.

Some of my results were about what I expected, since I have Hashimoto’s (autoimmune thyroid disease) and my tests showed me way above range for the associated antibodies (as usual):

Things related to my liver function were also abnormal, as expected, since they’ve been above range for years thanks to autoimmune-related issues. I don’t recall the last time my AST, ALP, or ALT were in normal ranges.

Looking at the parts of my testing that were complete “unknowns” to me, particularly my hormone levels related to testosterone and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), I had a feeling they’d be low, and I was right:

As of this writing, I have not yet decided if I’m going to proceed with any sort of hormone replacement therapy to boost those up to normal levels. To be honest, I’m conflicted about that because menopause has reduced my migraine frequency significantly and I’m afraid of messing around with anything that might bring those back.

Where I used to get three to four migraines a week, I get three to four a month, these days. So I’m mulling things over. I am considering possibly doing a vaginal testosterone cream or something that’s less systemic, so I might update this story later on once I come to a final decision on that.

The majority (62%) of my blood work was at “optimal” levels (yay!), but the difference with Lifeforce is that not all results that are in normal ranges are considered optimal. 

Despite having a lot of labs that were in a normal range, there are improvements to be made, so working with a Lifeforce clinician and health coach means taking steps toward better health. 

I’m 49 years old, right now, and as far as I’m concerned, there’s no better time than the present to work on my longevity.

(Better late than never, right?)

My Lifeforce dashboard includes recommendations for supplements that are supposed to improve areas that need optimization. For instance, one recommendation was for a supplement called Peak Rise:

To be fair, I take a daily Olly women’s multivitamin (when I remember to…) but taking a supplement with Cereboost, which is designed to boost cognition, might help me to remember to take it every day.

As well as remembering things in general. As it stands, I’m someone who has to have a hundred post-it notes hanging around to keep me on track without forgetting things… so Lifeforce might really be onto something with its personalized recommendations!

The Pros & Cons Of Lifeforce

Like any other online health service, Lifeforce has its strengths and limitations. I’ll talk about the pros and cons so you can better understand what it does well, and where it might fall short depending on your personal needs.

Lifeforce Pros:

• Tests a wide range of biomarkers that include hormones, vitamins, metabolic function, and inflammation markers, along with optional extended panels (at additional cost) for cardiovascular health, heavy metals, and brain protection, offering a broader picture of your health compared to standard (annual) blood work done in your local doctor’s office.
• Blood draws can be done at home by a licensed phlebotomist if you prefer, saving time and avoiding the hassle of an in-person visit to your local Quest Diagnostics. (Although you can go to a lab if you want.)
• Only one blood draw is required for lab testing; some similar services (like Function Health) require more than that.
• The online dashboard presents your test results VERY clearly, with actionable insights and trend tracking over time since labs are repeated quarterly with an ongoing membership.
• Lab results can be downloaded as a PDF if you want to take a copy to your regular doctor.
• Results are paired with tailored lifestyle, supplement, and prescription recommendations (with discounts available) as needed from board-certified doctors.
• Membership includes quarterly testing and online clinician visits, so it’s easy to track your progress and adjust your health strategies however needed over time.
• Your dashboard account integrates with Fitbit, Oura, Garmin, Whoop and Withings wearable monitors if you have any of those devices.

Lifeforce Cons:

• The monthly membership ($149) and testing packages can be expensive, especially compared to basic lab tests or insurance-covered care through your in-town physician.
• Services are not covered by private health insurance so all costs are out-of-pocket, although they ARE eligible for HSA/FSA if that’s an option for you.
• Lifeforce is designed for ongoing monitoring, so it may not be ideal if you’re just looking for a one-time test or quick snapshot.
• The standard lab panel at Lifeforce is not as extensive as other similar services (like Function Health, for example, which tests over 100+ biomarkers in its basic panel).
• Lifeforce focuses on health optimization rather than diagnosing or managing chronic conditions, so it shouldn’t replace a traditional healthcare provider, especially if you have known (or discovered) chronic conditions.
• At-home blood draws may not be available in all areas, particularly rural or remote regions.

Closing Thoughts

I think Lifeforce is perfect for those who want more insight into their bloodwork and health than what their average annual checkup offers. But it’s not without its limitations: namely the cost of ongoing membership fees, lack of insurance coverage, and its focus on optimization rather than diagnosis and management of chronic conditions. 

It’s a service that I feel is best suited for people who are already relatively health-conscious (and relatively healthy) and are willing to invest a little time and little more money in fine-tuning their wellness. If that sounds like you, Lifeforce is worth exploring.