Any opinions on these blood test results

katherine6780 · 05-04-2002, 11:49 PM

Hi All

After much hassle this week, i finally got a straight answer about my bloodtest results. First i was told they where all normal & then (because i was on the phone demanding a copy of the paperwork) they gave me the following results....

Testosterone.....4.22
FSH..............5.5
LH...............12.6

Are these "normal" results ??
Also, can they give me a copy of my blood test paperwork 'coz they still won't tell me exactly what they tested and what all the results where (only told me the aboce three) I'm not sure if it's something i'm entitled to have a copy of??

Any help would be much appreciated.
Take Care all
Katherine

Shira · 05-05-2002, 12:22 PM

Ok, I just want to tell you 3 things:
1) Lab parameters for "normal" are so wide that you can have twice the amount of testosterone of a normal, healthy ovulating woman and still be within the "normal" range. I don't know about your testosterone results as they never see fit to tell you exactly what "normal" is, but I don't think it's too high. Everyone's "system settings" are different, and you can have two women with exactly the same numbers and one is totally healthy and the other is a mess...it just shows how subjective the lab values are.
2) 7% of women with PCOS, no matter how unhealthy they are, have normal blood test results. ALWAYS. This just means that doctors don't believe them and there is no proof that anything is wrong with, and they always have a question mark by their diagnosis. I am in that 7% and I make sure that everyone I deal with at all hospitals and clinics knows this. So I rarely have to go for blood tests any more because there is no point, nothing will show up.
3) Your LH and FSH results are typical of PCOS. The numbers themselves might be normal, but as per usual, the doctors have failed to take into account the fact that the ratio is out of balance. The two numbers are supposed to be around equal, whereas your LH is more than twice as high as your FSH. Typically, LH 3 times higher than FSH is a definitive marker of PCOS, but a difference such as yours is also a pretty good indication.
Hope this has been helpful! Email me if you want to know anything else, or just chat.
Shira

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No-one ever said that it was going to be just, you really ought to know by now how She's all red in tooth and claw; after all, weren't you the one screaming for more?

"It's a tattoo. Of COURSE it hurts."

"Most people can't see the wood for the trees. I see the wood, and the trees, and the small village beyond and what's more, I have a flamethrower."
"The best forms of torture rarely hurt" - Charon
feel free to email me at redshira@gothism.zzn.com

starcat · 05-08-2002, 07:26 PM

Hi Katherine, they have to send you a copy of your results if you ask for it, it's the law! You usually have to pay though, I had to pay for copying and postage plus a £10 'access fee'!

Testosterone of 4.22 is not normal, the upper normal limit is 2.8, mine is 2.9 and that was labelled as high on my results, so don't accept that your test was normal. (unless yours was measured in different units maybe?).
And like Shira said, the lh/fsh ratio is not normal.

Did they do any other tests? They should do tests to rule out thyroid problems or cushing's disease, and fasting insulin and a glucose tolerance test.

If they haven't mentioned insulin at all they probably know nothing about pcos and aren't likely to prescribe metformin, so try and read up about it yourself and don't just accept what the doctor says!

Good luck!

Cat xxx

katherine6780 · 05-09-2002, 06:37 AM

Thanks for your replies ladies.

Because they wont give me a copy of my test results, i don't know everything that they tested. All i know is that the did my testosterone, LH:FSH and prolactin. I did tell them that i wanted to know everything, but the secretary just came back with a message from the doctor to tell me these results.

I got the impression that the doctor doesn't have a clue about PCOS and wouldn't know what tests to do, so i am waiting for the gynecologist appointment, hopefully they will know more.

Thanks once again for your replies.
Love Katherine

Shira · 05-09-2002, 12:18 PM

You'd be better off asking for a referral to a reporductive endocrinologist 9whther reproduction is an issue for you or not) as they tend to know a hell of a lot more about PCOS. Ok, I'm going to trot out my usual main point about PCOS:
It is an ENDOCRINE disorder which causes gynaecological problems. It is NOT gynaecological problem in itself.
So, good luck with thn gyn but you really might want to see an r.e.
Let us knw how it goes!
and yes, I didn't want to say anyhting as I was not sure and didn't want to alarm you without being sure, but I thought the testosterone looked a bit high. This means one good thing though: you are not one of the unfortunate women who have normal results on everything regardless of how ill they are, so you will at least have numbers that show something. Now the job is to get the doctors to acknowledge and act on it!

------------------
No-one ever said that it was going to be just, you really ought to know by now how She's all red in tooth and claw; after all, weren't you the one screaming for more?

"It's a tattoo. Of COURSE it hurts."

"Most people can't see the wood for the trees. I see the wood, and the trees, and the small village beyond and what's more, I have a flamethrower."
"The best forms of torture rarely hurt" - Charon
feel free to email me at redshira@gothism.zzn.com