Our Blog

Editorial status: Draft for named medical and laboratory review. Product URLs are supported by current Ulta Lab Tests search and internal-link evidence but still require a final in-site canonical check before publication. Obesity is a […]

A white blood cell count measures the total number of white blood cells in a blood sample. A high result is called leukocytosis; a low result is called leukopenia. Neither result names a cause by […]

What is leptin, and should it be tested for weight loss? Leptin is a hormone made mainly by fat cells. It carries information about stored energy to the brain, especially the hypothalamus, and helps coordinate […]

Direct Answer Cortisol helps the body make fuel available during physical or psychological demands. Sustained pathologic cortisol excess, as occurs in Cushing syndrome, can raise glucose, impair insulin action, increase blood pressure, and alter body-fat […]

Direct Answer Progesterone is central to post-ovulation reproductive physiology, the menstrual cycle, the uterine lining, and pregnancy, but current evidence does not show that it independently causes sustained body-fat gain or produces weight loss. Natural […]

Direct answer: Temporary nausea, bloating, loose stool, or food-related discomfort can occur while the body adjusts after gallbladder removal. Most people can gradually return to a normal, balanced diet and usual activity, guided by food […]

Direct answer: Acute pancreatitis is a potentially serious inflammation of the pancreas that usually requires urgent clinical assessment. Diagnosis generally requires at least two of three findings: characteristic upper-abdominal pain, amylase or lipase at least […]

Direct answer: The lactose hydrogen breath test is the main objective test used to look for lactose malabsorption. After a measured lactose drink, breath samples are collected over several hours. A meaningful rise in breath […]

Direct answer: Celiac disease, wheat allergy, and non-celiac gluten sensitivity (NCGS) are different conditions. Celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder evaluated with celiac-specific antibodies—usually while the person is still eating gluten—and often confirmed with upper […]

Direct answer: Nutrient deficiency symptoms can include fatigue, weakness, poor concentration, numbness or tingling, reduced exercise tolerance, mouth or tongue changes, and muscle symptoms, but none is specific to a deficiency. Focused blood tests for […]

Direct answer: Most cisgender women and other people born without a typical prostate gland do not develop conventional prostate cancer. They do have Skene’s glands—small paraurethral glands that are developmentally related to prostate tissue—but benign […]

Direct answer: Early localized prostate cancer often causes no symptoms. When urinary, sexual, pelvic, or bone symptoms occur, they are not specific and frequently have noncancerous causes. Prostate cancer detection may begin with an informed […]

Direct answer: Total PSA is the amount of prostate-specific antigen measured in blood in both protein-bound and unbound forms. Free PSA is the unbound fraction. Percent-free PSA is calculated from the free and total measurements […]

Direct answer: Prostate and urinary symptoms such as a weak stream, urgency, frequent urination, pelvic pain, or painful urination can have several causes. Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), prostatitis, urinary infection, retention, bladder conditions, medicines, diabetes, […]

Direct answer: No routine blood test can reliably screen the general population for pancreatic cancer, diagnose it by itself, or rule it out. Blood tests can reveal jaundice-related bile-flow abnormalities, anemia, metabolic changes, or pancreatic […]

Direct Answer Metabolic syndrome is a cluster of cardiometabolic risk factors, not a single blood-test result. A healthcare professional commonly identifies it when at least three of five findings are present: increased waist circumference, elevated […]

Hashimoto’s thyroiditis testing usually combines two kinds of blood tests that answer different questions. TSH and Free T4 show how the thyroid is functioning now. TPO antibodies and TgAb can support autoimmune thyroiditis as the […]

Direct answer: Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) is a protein made by prostate cells. A PSA blood test can support an informed prostate-cancer screening decision, help evaluate certain prostate or urinary concerns, and monitor people after prostate-cancer […]

HOMA2-IR, HOMA2-%B & HOMA2-%S Explained Direct answer: HOMA2 is a nonlinear computer model, not a stand-alone blood test. From compatible fasting glucose with insulin or C-peptide, it estimates insulin sensitivity (HOMA2-%S), the reciprocal insulin-resistance index […]

Short answer: Most thyroid cancers cannot be detected or ruled out with a routine blood test. Thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) and thyroid hormone levels are often normal even when cancer is present. A thyroid-cancer diagnosis generally […]

Quick answer: Oxidative stress is a biological imbalance in which reactive molecules exceed the body’s ability to regulate them. It may contribute to endothelial dysfunction, inflammation, LDL oxidation, and atherosclerosis, but it is not a […]

Some atherosclerotic plaque can regress modestly with intensive, evidence-based management, but “reversal” rarely means that an artery becomes completely plaque-free. In most people, the more important goals are to slow plaque growth, make plaque less […]

Apolipoprotein B (ApoB) can add cardiovascular-risk information when the number of atherogenic particles may be underestimated by LDL cholesterol (LDL-C), particularly when triglycerides are above 200 mg/dL or diabetes is present. Calculated remnant cholesterol can […]

Heart failure blood tests help answer different parts of the diagnostic puzzle. BNP or NT-proBNP can show that the heart is under increased wall stress, while kidney, electrolyte, blood-count, iron, thyroid, glucose, lipid, and liver […]

Cholesterol blood tests measure several related—but not interchangeable—parts of lipid metabolism. A standard lipid panel usually reports total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol (LDL-C), HDL cholesterol (HDL-C), and triglycerides. It also supports calculation of non-HDL cholesterol. Apolipoprotein […]