Yes, if we feel it is necessary, we can arrange private blood tests locally in at a Guildford clinic, or at locations over the UK using Nationwide Pathology, or you can arrange a venous blood sample through Medichecks. If you choose to use medichecks we will advise you which profile to order.
Blood tests can be useful at times, but are often not necessary. They are required in younger women, and can be useful to exclude other diagnoses, and may be helpful in guiding oestrogen dosing with HRT.
We do monitor blood tests when we prescribe testosterone, to make sure your level of testosterone is kept in the female range. We test before starting testosterone, to make sure you do not already have high levels and then we repeat tests at 3 months and annually according to recommendations.
Blood tests at Guildford clinic
It is possible to have a blood test taken at the Surrey Cardiovascular clinic, you book this with them and we can give you the required form in order to do this. Payment is taken by them and they send the results to us so we can inform you of them.
Blood tests arranged by us using Nationwide pathology
We have a range of hormonal blood profiles at Nationwide pathology, depending on your individual needs. We will advise you at your appointment. The cost of processing these blood panels is stated and payable to us in advance of us informing Nationwide about your test.
There is an extra cost, charged to you by the individual blood letting clinic, for taking your blood test, called the blood letting fee, which is payable to them and varies between £35 and £70.
Rowena Health blood profile costs from Nationwide Pathology which we can arrange for you:
- Profile 1 – Estradiol (£40 + extra blood letting fee)
- Profile 2 – Total Testosterone, Sex Hormone Binding Globulin (SHBG) and Estradiol (£70 + extra blood letting fee)
- Profile 3 – Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH), Luteinising Hormone (LH), Estradiol, Total Testosterone, Thyroid function Tests, SHBG, Prolactin (£95 + extra blood letting fee)
- Profile 4 – Lipids, HbA1c (diabetes) (£55 + extra blood letting fee)
- Profile 5 – Estradiol, LH, FSH, Total Testosterone, SHBG, Lipids (blood cholesterol), Liver function tests (LFT), Kidney function, Hba1c (Diabetes), Ferritin (iron), Thyroid function test, Full Blood Count, Vitamin D, Vitamin B12 and Folate (£150 + extra blood letting fee)
- Profile 6 – Coeliac Screen (£80 + extra blood letting fee)
- Profile 7 – Oestradiol, LH, FSH, Total Testosterone, SHBG, Lipids, LFT, U+E, Hba1c, Thyroid Function Test, Full Blood Count, Vitamin D, Vitamin B12, Folate, Coeliac screen, Magnesium, Zinc, Creatinine Kinase, Ferritin, Uric acid, Bone screen (£205 + extra blood letting fee)
- Profile 8 – FSH, LH (£66 + extra blood letting fee)
- Profile 9 – Total Testosterone and SHBG (£60 + extra blood letting fee)
Blood tests arranged by you with advice from us using Medichecks
This is an online provider who can help you by offering set profiles, and you can visit one of their clinics to have your blood profile taken. You pay them for the profile and the results are sent to you.
We ask that if you start testosterone therapy you arrange the ‘Female hormone blood test’ or the ‘Polycystic ovary syndrome blood test’ both of which measure testosterone and SHBG. We will advise you at your appointment which is the relevant profile for you. There are many different profiles so please ask us first as costs differ.
To arrange these panels you can contact Medichecks, and arrange to visit a clinic of their’s to have your blood taken, the results would be sent to you and you can share them with your GP and with us.
- Female Hormone blood test – FSH, LH, oestradiol, testosterone, SHBG (free androgen index, FAI), prolactin, thyroid hormones TSH and T4
- Advanced female blood test – as above including thyroid antibodies and T3
- Oestradiol blood test – only oestradiol
- Polycystic ovary syndrome blood test – FSH, LH, testosterone, SHBG and FAI
- Follicle Stimulating blood test – FSH
Blood tests are often not necessary and certainly are not very helpful in perimenopause, due to your own hormonal fluctuations, we can advise you of this.
Thank you for your support to help us care for you at Rowena Health. Dr Carys Sonnenberg