Blog
Plain-language, clinically grounded answers on perimenopause, hormones, gut, sleep, HRT, and functional medicine.
- Lab testing
How Does Hormone Testing Work for Women in Their 40s?
You're 43, your cycle has stopped making sense, and someone, a friend, an ad, your own worry, told you to get a full hormone panel before anyone can help you. So you get the blood draw. The numbers…
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What Do I Need to Know Before Getting Perimenopause Bloodwork?
Time your labs to day 19-21 of your cycle if you're still cycling, fast 8-12 hours before the draw, avoid intense exercise the day before, and request the functional ranges alongside the standard r…
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What Are the Best Labs to Test During Perimenopause?
You've had the same normal TSH three times. Your fasting glucose looks fine. And you still can't think straight, can't sleep through the night, and are gaining weight you can't explain. Everyone ha…
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What's the Difference Between "Normal" Lab Ranges and Functional/Optimal Ranges?
Normal lab ranges are designed to identify overt disease — they flag values outside the statistical middle 95% of the population. Functional ranges identify declining physiological function before…
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Why Do My Labs Look Normal When I Feel Awful?
"That's normal for your age." You've heard it in the exam room, maybe more than once, while you're the one living inside the fatigue and the fog it's supposed to explain away. A fasting insulin of…
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