Home kit
Women's Hormone & Thyroid Check
The four reproductive hormones (FSH, LH, prolactin, oestradiol) and a full thyroid panel (TSH, free T4, free T3) from one finger-prick sample taken at home.
- Doctor-reviewed results
- Laboratory analysis
- 1 to 2 working days from lab receipt
- No fasting required
What’s included
2 tests included
This count refers to bundled laboratory tests. Their individual measurements are listed below.
FSH
Follicle-stimulating hormone. As the ovaries become less active in the years before the menopause, less feedback reaches the pituitary gland and FSH rises. Levels can swing sharply from day to day during this change, then stay high after the menopause.
LH
Luteinising hormone, measured together with FSH. In women whose periods have stopped, high LH and FSH before age 40 suggest premature ovarian insufficiency, while normal or low levels point to causes such as weight loss, stress or excessive exercise. A normal FSH with normal or moderately raised LH may be seen in polycystic ovary syndrome.
Prolactin
Prolactin is a hormone often checked when periods stop. Mild rises are most often due to stress or medicines such as antipsychotics, and can also be caused by pregnancy, breastfeeding, recent exercise or a difficult blood draw. Higher or persistent rises can point to a pituitary growth or an underactive thyroid and may need specialist assessment.
Oestradiol
An oestrogen hormone, often checked with FSH, LH and prolactin when periods have stopped. A low level can point to early loss of ovarian function (with a high FSH), a raised prolactin, or causes such as weight loss, stress or heavy exercise. Results are not reliable during any hormonal treatment.
Free T3
Free T3 (triiodothyronine) is one of the main hormones made by the thyroid, checked alongside TSH and T4 in a thyroid function test. A low TSH with high T3 and/or T4 usually points to an overactive thyroid.
Free T4
Free thyroxine (FT4), one of the main thyroid hormones. It is read alongside TSH, the pituitary hormone that controls thyroid hormone production: a low TSH with a raised T3 or T4 usually points to an overactive thyroid. What counts as normal varies with age and laboratory method.
TSH
Thyroid-stimulating hormone, released by the pituitary gland to prompt the thyroid to make T4 and T3. Thyroid hormone levels feed back to control it, so a TSH above the normal range points to an underactive thyroid, especially when free T4 is low.
Overview
This panel combines reproductive hormone and thyroid tests. It includes FSH, LH, prolactin and oestradiol, together with TSH, free T4 and free T3. Results need to be interpreted alongside symptoms, medicines and menstrual-cycle timing. The panel does not include thyroid antibodies, testosterone or AMH.
Irregular periods, tiredness, low mood and weight change can come from the reproductive hormones or the thyroid, and the two are often checked together for that reason. This panel takes both from a single sample so a doctor can read them side by side rather than one at a time. Best taken on day two to five of a period where there is a cycle; the report explains how timing affects the numbers.
Who this is for and who it isn’t
Who it’s for
- Women aged 18 and over
- Women with irregular periods, tiredness or mood change
- Anyone wondering whether the thyroid or the cycle is behind their symptoms
Who it isn’t for
- Hormone results depend on cycle timing: if you have a cycle, take the sample on day two to five for the clearest reading. Combined hormonal contraception suppresses the reproductive hormones, so the result reflects the contraception rather than your own cycle. It does not include testosterone, AMH or thyroid antibodies.
- Anyone with a new, severe or worsening symptom: contact your GP or call NHS 111. A test you buy today is not a substitute for being examined.
Common reasons people choose this test
- Irregular, missed or very heavy periods
- Tiredness and weight change together
- Low mood, anxiety or poor sleep
- Hair thinning, dry skin or often feeling cold
- Wondering whether perimenopause has started
These are reasons people choose to test, not signs that something is wrong. A result is one part of a picture your doctor puts together with your history and an examination.
What your result looks like
Every result is shown with the unit and the reference range exactly as the laboratory reported it, with the doctor’s note underneath.
- FSH▲ High
- Result
- 34 IU/L
- Range
- 3.5–12.5 (day 2–5)
- LHIn range
- Result
- 5.9 IU/L
- Range
- 2.4–12.6 (day 2–5)
- ProlactinIn range
- Result
- 280 mIU/L
- Range
- 102–496 (women)
| Marker | Result | Units | Range | Flag |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FSH | 34 | IU/L | 3.5–12.5 (day 2–5) | ▲ High |
| LH | 5.9 | IU/L | 2.4–12.6 (day 2–5) | In range |
| Prolactin | 280 | mIU/L | 102–496 (women) | In range |
Doctor’s note (example)
FSH above 30 with irregular periods and symptoms points towards the menopause transition. Under 45 it is repeated in six weeks before any conclusion.
…and 4 more markers. Values above are examples. Your report shows your own results with the laboratory’s units and reference range for your age and sex, reviewed, signed and released by a GMC-registered doctor.
How it works
- Your kit arrivesPosted to your door, with instructions and what you need to send your sample back.
- You take your sampleFinger-prick sample at home, or a clinic blood draw, your choice
- The laboratory analyses itYour sample is processed for the measurements included in this test. Lab processing typically takes 1 to 2 working days from receipt of your sample.
- A doctor reviews and releases itA GMC-registered doctor reads every result and signs the report before it reaches you.
- Sample
- Home finger-prick kit
- Preparation
- Read instructions below
- Who it's for
- Women · ages 18+
How to prepare
Wash your hands with soap and warm water before you start. Do not take the sample from a finger, or any area of skin, where hormone cream or gel has been applied, for example HRT or testosterone gel. If you apply gel to your hands, take the sample from the other hand. Hormone on the skin can get into the sample and give a falsely high result.
What we can and can’t tell you
The reference range beside each result is the laboratory’s own. A result in range is not a clean bill of health and a result outside it is not a diagnosis. Most ranges cover about 95% of healthy people, so about 1 in 20 healthy people fall just outside any one range. No test result replaces an examination or your own doctor’s judgement, and none of these panels is a cancer screening programme.
Read the full note
The reference range printed beside each of your results is the laboratory's own, and it is the range that applies to your result. We do not apply a second range of our own, and we do not tell you that a result the laboratory reported as normal is nonetheless too low or too high. If you see a claim elsewhere that your result ought to sit inside a narrower band than the one the laboratory printed, treat it with caution and ask your doctor.
Some assays cannot give an exact figure above or below a certain point, and those results are reported the way the laboratory sends them, for example as a value greater than a stated number. A result in range is not a clean bill of health, and a result outside a range is not a diagnosis: most reference ranges are set to cover about 95% of healthy people, so some healthy people fall just outside them. No blood test replaces an examination, a scan or your own doctor's judgement, and none of these panels is a screening programme for cancer.
If you have a symptom that is new, severe, or getting worse, contact your GP or NHS 111 rather than waiting for a test result. In an emergency call 999.
Frequently asked questions
When in my cycle should I test?
Day two to five, counting the first day of bleeding as day one. If you have no cycle, any day is fine and the doctor reads the result with that in mind.
Can it tell me if I am perimenopausal?
FSH and oestradiol give clues, but hormones swing widely in perimenopause so a single sample is not definitive. The doctor explains what the pattern suggests, and the Menopause Check is built for that question.
Why free T3 as well as TSH and free T4?
Free T3 is another thyroid hormone measurement. Whether it is useful depends on the clinical question and other thyroid results. Persistent symptoms with a normal TSH do not automatically mean that more thyroid tests will explain them; a clinician can advise what to investigate next.
I use hormone cream or gel. Does that affect the sample?
It can. Hormone from cream or gel on your skin, such as HRT or testosterone gel, can get into a finger-prick sample and give a falsely high result. Wash your hands first, do not take the sample from a finger or area where cream or gel has been applied, and if you apply gel to your hands, use the other hand.
Does biotin affect the result?
It can. High-dose biotin (vitamin B7), often sold for hair, skin and nails, can make some hormone results read too high or too low. Laboratory advice is usually to leave at least 8 hours after a dose of 5 mg or more, and some advise longer, so the simplest approach is to skip it on the day of your sample. Tell us if you take it, and do not stop a medicine that a doctor has prescribed.
How long do results take?
The laboratory typically takes 1 to 2 working days from receiving your sample. This does not include kit delivery, sample collection or return postage. A doctor reviews your results before they are released.
Can I choose a home kit or a clinic?
Both, it is your choice at checkout. Either collect a finger-prick sample at home with the posted kit and send it back as the instructions explain, or book a clinic appointment and have a trained clinician take the sample for you.
Is a doctor involved?
Yes. Every result is reviewed by a GMC-registered doctor who signs it off and explains what it means and what to do next.
Is it confidential?
Your results are available through your secure patient portal. Our privacy policy explains how your information is handled and when it may be shared to provide your care.
What happens to my sample and results?
Your sample is analysed at a UKAS-accredited laboratory (ISO 15189). A GMC-registered doctor then reads every result and signs the report before it is released, so nothing reaches you unreviewed. There is no option to receive results without a doctor reading them first. The report arrives in your secure portal in plain English: each result with its unit and the laboratory's own reference range, and the doctor's note on what the set means read together. If a result sits outside its range the report says so and explains what usually happens next, which is most often a conversation with your own GP, who can act on it alongside your history and examination. Most reference ranges are set to cover about 95% of healthy people, so about 1 in 20 healthy people fall just outside any one of them. On a report with many results it is common for one to sit just outside its range, and a single number on its own rarely tells the whole story. If a result needs urgent attention, the reviewing doctor is alerted straight away and we contact you by phone the same working day rather than leaving it in the portal for you to find. If a specific result needs rechecking, the reviewing doctor says so in your report.
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