One preventive measures of knowing about your health is a blood test.
Shown above is an example of a woman’s blood test panel.
- Chemistry Panel (metabolic panel with lipids) – The cornerstone of any complete physical, the chemistry panel provides an array of markers to help assess cardiovascular risk, metabolic function, electrolyte status, minerals important for bone health, plus liver and kidney function.
- Complete Blood Count (CBC) – The CBC test evaluates three types of cells that circulate in the blood (red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets). These markers can help to provide information regarding the immune system, possibility of an infection, blood disorder, nutritional deficiencies, your body’s ability to clot, and more.
- Free & Total Testosterone – Known as the feel-good hormone, testosterone helps maintain a woman’s libido, bone and muscle mass, cardiovascular health, mood, and sense of well-being. Testosterone in conjunction with estrogen is crucial in minimizing hot flashes, sleep disturbances, night sweats, and vaginal dryness.
- Dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA-S) – Produced primarily by the adrenal glands, DHEA is the most abundant steroid hormone in the human body. DHEA plays a fundamental role in hormone balance, as well as supporting one’s immune function, energy, mood, and maintenance of muscle and bone mass. Since orally administered DHEA is mostly converted to DHEA-S, coupled with the fact that DHEA-S levels are more stable in the blood than DHEA, measurement of DHEA-S is preferable to DHEA.
- Progesterone – Instrumental in balancing the powerful effects of estrogen, an imbalance between progesterone and estrogen is linked to weight gain, insomnia, anxiety, depression, migraine, cancer, uterine fibroids, ovarian cysts, and osteoporosis.
- Estradiol (E2) – The primary female sex hormone, estradiol is a form of estrogen responsible for regulating the menstrual cycle, skin elasticity, bone strength, bladder and vaginal health.
- Homocysteine – Identified by Life Extension as 1 of 17 independent risk factors for cardiovascular disease, high homocysteine levels can directly damage the delicate endothelial cells that line the inside of arteries, resulting in vascular inflammation, arterial plaque rupture, and blood clot formation.
C-reactive protein (High sensitivity) – CRP measures general levels of inflammation in your body, but cannot show where the inflammation is located or what is causing it. Uncontrolled, systemic inflammation places you at risk for many degenerative diseases like heart disease and stroke.
TSH (Thyroid stimulating hormone) – TSH is produced by the pituitary gland, and stimulates your thyroid to produce thyroid hormones T3 and T4. TSH can be used to screen for thyroid disease and other thyroid imbalances.
Vitamin D, 25-Hydroxy – Known as the sunshine vitamin, vitamin D is important to every cell and tissue throughout the body. From proper immune function and bone density to heart health and mood disorders, vitamin D is critical for optimal health.
Hemoglobin A1C (HbA1C) – HbA1C shows the average level of blood sugar (glucose) over the previous 3 months. HbA1C is a useful indicator of how well blood glucose is being controlled, and is also used to monitor the effects of diet, exercise, and drug therapy in diabetic patients.
