PCOS blood test

What's included in this blood test?

• Testosterone: A main feature of PCOS can be high testosterone levels. This can lead to symptoms like irregular or absent periods, excessive hair growth on your body, weight gain, acne, and difficulty getting pregnant.
• Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH): Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) helps your ovaries to function normally and plays a key role in egg production and ovulation. If you have PCOS, you might have a raised LH:FSH ratio.
• Luteinising hormone (LH): LH plays a key role in reproduction - it helps to regulate your menstrual cycle and peaks just before ovulation, triggering an egg release from the ovary. In PCOS, you might have a raised LH:FSH ratio.
• Thyroid profile: Thyroid disorders can cause hormonal imbalances - leading to symptoms like weight gain, low mood, anxiety, depression, and difficulty sleeping. A thyroid disorder can also cause issues with your menstrual cycle and fertility.
• Vitamin D: Vitamin D deficiency is common in people with PCOS. Optimal vitamin D levels are linked to improved insulin sensitivity and an improvement in PCOS symptoms. Low vitamin D levels have also been linked to worse PMS symptoms and more painful periods.
• Hba1c (diabetes risk): Between 50-70% of people with PCOS have insulin resistance - leading to raised blood sugar levels. A HbA1c test measures your average blood sugar levels over the past 2-3 months. This can help you monitor your risk of developing prediabetes or type 2 diabetes.
• Cholesterol (lipid profile): A cholesterol profile test will look at the different types of fats (lipids) in your blood. This is useful to monitor if you have PCOS as this condition is linked to out of range lipid results (dyslipidaemia). Dyslipidaemia is linked to an increased risk of heart disease.

Description provided by Thriva.