Category: Lab Testing Knowledge Center

Pregnancy blood tests and prenatal urine tests are used for several different purposes. Early testing commonly evaluates pregnancy hormone status when needed, blood counts, blood type and Rh factor, unexpected red-cell antibodies, urine bacteria, immunity […]

Inflammation and autoimmune blood tests answer different questions. General markers such as C-reactive protein (CRP), high-sensitivity CRP (hs-CRP), and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) can show that inflammatory activity may be present, but they usually cannot […]

Digestive health lab tests use blood, stool, and sometimes breath samples to look for clues related to anemia, dehydration, inflammation, infection, celiac disease, nutrient malabsorption, pancreatic enzyme problems, and hidden blood in stool. Common starting […]

What Do Liver Function Tests Show? Liver function tests are blood tests used to look for liver-cell injury, altered bile flow, bilirubin-processing problems, reduced protein or clotting-factor production, viral hepatitis, and risk of advanced fibrosis. […]

Compare diabetes blood tests—including A1C, fasting glucose, oral glucose tolerance testing, insulin, and C-peptide—for screening, diagnostic support, and ongoing monitoring. Diabetes blood tests are not interchangeable. In nonpregnant adults, A1C, fasting plasma glucose, and the […]

Infectious disease testing is not one universal blood test. The right choice depends on the suspected organism, exposure date, symptoms, body site, vaccination history, and whether the goal is screening, diagnosing a current infection, confirming […]

Cancer blood tests include routine blood counts and chemistry tests, selected protein tumor markers, and specialized genomic assays. They may reveal blood-cell or organ-function changes, support a diagnosis alongside imaging and pathology, establish a pretreatment […]

Neurological blood tests can identify treatable contributors to memory loss, numbness, weakness, headache, and other neurological symptoms, but they rarely diagnose a brain disorder by themselves. Testing is most useful when it answers a defined […]

Healthy aging blood tests can help identify treatable risks that affect bone strength, muscle function, metabolic health, cardiovascular risk, kidney function, nutrition, and recovery. No single blood test measures longevity, and a larger panel is […]

Thyroid blood tests measure pituitary signaling, circulating thyroid hormones, and selected antibodies or monitoring markers. The TSH Test is usually the first laboratory test used to assess suspected primary thyroid dysfunction. The Free T4 Test […]

CBC and anemia blood tests evaluate the number, size, and distribution of blood cells and help organize common anemia and blood-cell patterns.1 A complete blood count with differential and platelets measures red cells, hemoglobin, hematocrit, […]

Vitamin and nutrient deficiency tests measure selected vitamins, minerals, iron markers, and related biomarkers when symptoms, diet, medical history, medications, surgery, pregnancy, or prior results provide a reason to test. Common starting points include blood-count […]

Direct-access lab testing may allow eligible patients to select and order certain tests without first using the traditional office-visit pathway, subject to test, authorization, location, and legal requirements. A responsible process begins with a focused […]

Fertility lab tests and preconception blood tests can answer focused questions about ovulation, ovarian reserve, reproductive hormones, thyroid function, metabolic health, infection risk, immunity, blood type, and selected inherited conditions. They cannot determine fertility by […]

Men’s health blood tests can help evaluate testosterone status, pituitary-to-testis signaling, selected causes of sexual symptoms, prostate-related risk, treatment safety, and cardiometabolic health. The most useful starting test for suspected testosterone deficiency is usually a […]

Women’s hormone blood tests measure ovarian, pituitary, adrenal, thyroid, pregnancy, blood-count, and metabolic markers. Depending on the question, testing may include an estradiol measurement, progesterone measurement, FSH, LH, AMH, prolactin, or focused androgen, thyroid, pregnancy, […]

Which heart health blood tests answer which questions? Heart health blood tests can identify conventional, inherited, inflammatory, metabolic, and kidney-related factors that influence cardiovascular risk. A Lipid Panel Test is the usual starting point. An […]

How blood and urine tests assess kidney filtration, kidney damage, electrolyte balance, and chronic kidney disease risk Kidney function tests work best as a set, not as a single number. Blood creatinine is used to […]

Use laboratory testing to answer a defined health question—not to grade your willpower, explain every pound, or replace clinical care. What blood tests are used for metabolic health and weight-loss care? Metabolic health blood tests […]