Additional blood tests to rule out conditions often seen alongside PCOS and to find the cause of the condition is recommended. Blood tests are usually very accessible, and the five tests morefertile recommends are:
Fasting glucose
Fasting glucose (blood sugar) levels (or other tests for glucose intolerance and insulin resistance) are efficient ways to assess the risk of Type II diabetes. High Insulin levels are a major factor for many women with PCOS and should be addressed as a priority.
Lipids
Lipids are fats in the blood (cholesterol), and their levels affect the risk of cardiac (and other) conditions. Lipid levels are usually raised in PCOS, and the ratio between HDL : LDL is towards LDL (the “bad” type of fat in the blood).
Pregnancy test
Being pregnant is a distinct possibility for not having regular periods and can easily be overlooked, especially when cycles are irregular anyway.
Prolactin
Elevated prolactin levels (hyperprolactinemia) are another cause of anovulation, and blood tests will reveal whether this hormone is abnormally high.
Thyroid function
Testing thyroid function is important as there’s a significantly increased chance of hypothyroidism for women who have PCOS. Having hypothyroidism significantly reduces a woman’s chances of conceiving (independently of PCOS) and having a healthy pregnancy. We recommend that all women with PCOS get their thyroid hormone levels checked because of this.
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