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PCOS lab tests, explained plainly
Eleven tests that come up in PCOS care — and why a dated record of your own results, kept across years and clinics, turns single numbers into trends.
- Testosterone and PCOS: what the test measuresWhat a total testosterone blood test measures in PCOS care, why one reading means little without dates and context, and why to keep your results over time.
- SHBG and PCOS: the carrier protein that shapes the pictureWhat SHBG measures, why this carrier protein changes how testosterone reads in PCOS care, and why keeping dated results over time turns numbers into trends.
- Free androgen index: the ratio behind the raw numbersWhat the free androgen index calculates from testosterone and SHBG, why clinicians look at it in PCOS care, and why keeping dated results over time matters.
- AMH and PCOS: what the test means, and what it doesn'tWhat an AMH blood test measures, why it's often raised in PCOS but isn't a fertility verdict, and why keeping dated results across years builds a trend.
- LH/FSH ratio: the classic, imperfect PCOS patternWhat the LH to FSH ratio measures, why it's a classic but imperfect PCOS pattern, why cycle timing matters for the blood draw, and why dated records help.
- Insulin and PCOS: reading the result in contextWhat an insulin blood test measures, why insulin resistance comes up in PCOS care, and why keeping dated results across years turns single numbers into trends.
- Glucose and PCOS: the fasting basicsWhat a fasting glucose blood test measures, why it's often paired with insulin in PCOS care, and why keeping dated results across years builds a trend.
- HbA1c and PCOS: the longer viewWhat HbA1c measures as a roughly three-month average, why periodic checks come up in PCOS care under UK guidance, and why keeping dated results matters.
- Prolactin and PCOS: a test that rules things outWhat a prolactin blood test measures, why it's used in PCOS care to rule out other causes, and why keeping dated results across years turns numbers into trends.
- TSH and PCOS: ruling out the thyroidWhat a TSH thyroid test measures, why it's used in PCOS care as a rule-out, how thyroid symptoms overlap with fatigue, and why keeping dated results matters.
- Lipids and PCOS: the longer-term, heart-health viewWhat a lipid panel measures, why PCOS care includes heart-health checks over time, and why keeping dated cholesterol results across years builds a trend.