$9.00
Priced per marker, with baseline labs included. You’ll see your total before you pay.
Brain & nervous system
Vitamin B12 test
Cobalamin. B12 status within a comprehensive panel.
At a glance
In about 5 days
Most results are ready in about 5 days. Some specialty markers can take up to 21 days.
Check before your draw
This marker has no preparation tag, but it can still need preparation. Contact us before your draw if you’re not sure.
Walk in at Quest
Your lab order arrives by email. Most Quest locations take walk-ins, so bring it with a photo ID.
What it measures
Vitamin B12 helps your body make red blood cells and keeps your nerves and brain working well. This shows how much B12 is in your blood.
Why it matters for women
Low B12 can be more common with a vegan diet, weight-loss surgery, or metformin, a medicine used for diabetes and PCOS (a common hormone condition). An autoimmune cause of low B12 can be more common in people with thyroid disease, which affects more women than men. Your need for B12 can also rise during pregnancy and breastfeeding.
You might check it if…
- you follow a vegan or mostly plant-based diet
- you take metformin or long-term heartburn medicine
- you notice tiredness, brain fog or tingling in your hands or feet
- you’ve had weight-loss surgery or a stomach condition
What your result may mean
High Vitamin B12: what it may mean
High B12 may mean supplements, shots or fortified drinks, and that may not be a concern. It can also accompany liver disease or myeloproliferative disorders, which are bone marrow conditions that can overproduce blood cells. Kidney disease can raise it too. A high value by itself may cause no symptoms, and extra B12 can leave the body in urine. If no supplement is involved, a clinician may look at liver tests and a complete blood count.
Low Vitamin B12: what it may mean
Low B12 may point to true deficiency, especially with a high MMA. It can happen with a vegan diet, pernicious anemia (an autoimmune condition), acid-reducing medicines called PPIs, metformin, older age or weight-loss surgery. Some people may notice tiredness, numbness or tingling, a sore tongue, or changes in memory or mood. Pregnancy and birth control with estrogen can lower a B12 reading without a true shortage, so a clinician may add MMA when a result sits near the low end.
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These notes provide context and do not diagnose a condition. Not yet available in NY, NJ, RI, HI, ND, SD or WV.