It has become a good practice to check your hormones even before any health problems begin. Below I will tell you about the rules for taking tests, for ease of search, we will “divide” the hormonal background by systems.
Thyroid hormones, parathyroid glands. These are TSH, T4 free and total, T3 free and total, antibodies to TPO, antibodies to TG, antibodies to rTTG, some others – calcitonin, parathyroid hormone.
They should be taken on an empty stomach (that is, “an empty stomach”), or 4-5 hours after eating. Tablets (such as L-thyroxine, Eutirox, Tyrozol, Mercazolil, etc.) are taken after the test. If you have been ill or are sick with acute respiratory viral infections, acute respiratory infections, it is better to take the analysis 4-5 weeks after recovery. These tests have no connection with the menstrual cycle.
Sex hormones (for women). These are LH, FSH, estradiol, progesterone, prolactin, testosterone (free and total), DHA-S, 17-OH-progesterone, androstenedione, dehydrotestosterone.
It is advisable to take it on an empty stomach, for prolactin – for 2 days to refrain from severe physical activity, drinking alcohol, sex. Take after the temperature drops, in the morning, 1-2 hours after waking up (preferably not later).
The intake of medications, not only hormonal ones, is also taken into account (therefore, present the list of medications you are taking to the doctor, and do not outline their approximate form with the words – “well, these white, small, in a blue box, in general, I do not remember what they are called”);)
FSH, LH, ESTRADIOL, TESTOSTERONE, DHA-S, 17-OH-PROGESTERONE, ANDROSTENDION, PROLACTIN – are given 2-5 days from the onset of menstrual bleeding (this is phase 1 of the cycle) with a 28-day cycle, with a cycle of more than 28 days – 5 -7 days, including after bleeding caused by progesterone, on days 2-3 with a cycle of 23-21 days.
PROGESTERONE, sometimes PROLACTIN is taken on the 21-22 day of the 28 day cycle (phase 2), or calculated on the 6-8 day after ovulation (if an ovulation test was performed).
DEHYDROTESTOSTERONE is given on any day of the cycle.
For men, the conditions for delivery are the same (hormones are slightly different)
Adrenal hormones. (These are cortisol, renin, aldosterone, metanephrine, normetanephrine, adrenaline, norepinephrine, etc.).
Take on an empty stomach, preferably between 8-9 am (daily peak secretion – more related to cortisol!).
Before taking renin, aldosterone, metanephrines, etc., in 2 weeks, some groups of drugs are canceled: Veroshpiron, and ACE (enalapril), B-blockers (Egilok), Aspirin and some others.
Hormones of the pituitary gland (the main endocrine gland). These are: ACTH, STH (growth hormone). I have already told about FSH, LH, prolactin.
ACTH is given as cortisol, on an empty stomach, 8-9 am, sometimes at 13.00 (and / or 20.00) – as prescribed by the doctor.
STH (ego analogue of IGF1) on an empty stomach, at any time.
The hormone insulin is given on an empty stomach, usually along with blood sugar. Sometimes together with a test for “glucose tolerance” (then 2 times – on an empty stomach and 2 hours after the “sugar syrup”).
Nowadays, they do not resort to the delivery of daily urine for analogs of male hormones (17-KS and 17-OCS), the reliability of these analyzes is very low. But daily urine for cortisol is often handed over! To do this, urine is collected for a day from 8.00 on one day to 8.00 on another day (record the entire volume of collected urine), shake it up and bring 150-200 ml to the laboratory, along with a record of the volume allocated. Some laboratories ask you to bring all the urine, you need to clarify this issue in advance!
The same applies to daily urine
a) for calcium and phosphorus,
b) metanephrine
c) vanilla-mandelic acid (for them you need to take a special preservative from the laboratory! to collect urine). When collecting daily urine https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urine, beets, carrots, bananas, turnips, citrus fruits, calcium preparations are excluded from the diet.
In endocrinology, hormonal tests are also used, but they are a separate topic.