normal Fasting insulin level?

rkp · 07-26-2007, 07:54 PM

Hi,
I am 31yrs old and was diagnosed with PCOS 4mnths back in India.At that time my Fasting Insulin level was 20.60uIU/ml and the normal range was given as 6 to 27uIU/ml. But yesterday I had my first appointment with endo and he said that 20.60 was TOO high and it should be well below 10.
He has asked me to do the blood tests again.I am very scared. What is the normal Fasting insulin level?

PrewrittenDestiny · 08-10-2007, 01:33 AM

hey can anyone be so kind as to answer this for rkp?

rkp · 08-10-2007, 06:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PrewrittenDestiny

hey can anyone be so kind as to answer this for rkp?

Hey Thanks for bringing up my thread.......I do have an update.....
I had my blood test results yesterday......My Fasting insulin level is down to 7uIU/ml and I am happy about it though I am still wondering what must've made it go down from 20uIU/ml to 7 in 5months because I did not make a whole lot of changes in my diet.I have started exercising regularly but did not expect this big a change.

Saille · 08-11-2007, 12:28 AM

Excercise will absolutely make that big a change -- Excercise is the Holy Grail.
I'm glad that you had such great success with it! While it makes a huge difference it doesn't always make enough difference, but in your case it did.

As for the right fasting levels, here is a chart....not sure how well it will paste into here:

Hb-A1c 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 4.8 4.9
mg/dl 65 69 72 76 79 83 86 90 93 97
mmol/l 3.6 3.8 4.0 4.2 4.4 4.6 4.8 5.0 5.2 5.4

Hb-A1c 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 5.7 5.8 5.9
mg/dl 101 104 108 111 115 118 122 126 129 133
mmol/l 5.6 5.8 6.0 6.2 6.4 6.6 6.8 7.0 7.2 7.4

Hb-A1c 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 6.6 6.7 6.8 6.9
mg/dl 136 140 143 147 151 154 158 161 165 168
mmol/l 7.6 7.8 8.0 8.2 8.4 8.6 8.8 9.0 9.2 9.4

Hb-A1c 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 7.6 7.7 7.8 7.9
mg/dl 172 176 180 183 186 190 193 197 200 204
mmol/l 9.6 9.8 10.0 10.2 10.4 10.6 10.8 11.0 11.2 11.4

Hb-A1c 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 8.5 8.6 8.7 8.8 8.9
mg/dl 207 211 215 218 222 225 229 232 236 240
mmol/l 11.6 11.8 12.0 12.2 12.4 12.6 12.8 13.0 13.2 13.4

Hb-A1c 9.0 9.5 10.0 10.5 11.0 11.5 12.0 12.5 13.0 13.5
mg/dl 243 261 279 297 314 332 350 368 386 403
mmol/l 13.6 14.6 15.6 16.6 17.5 18.5 19.5 20.4 21.4 22.4

I tried to straighten it out a bit. This shows A1c levels compared to mg/dl levels (US) and mmol/dl levels (everybody else). Copied this from an endo site about morning fasting #'s:

The "gold standard" for diagnosing diabetes is an elevated blood sugar level after an overnight fast (not eating anything after midnight). A value above 140 mg/dl on at least two occasions typically means a person has diabetes. Normal people have fasting sugar levels that generally run between 70-110 mg/dl.

So 4.1 to 5.2 would be in the "normal" range with 7.8 and higher being in the diabetic range. Did your doc talk at all about 'pre-diabetes'?

Anyway -- keep up the GREAT job with that excercise! If you start learning about carbs and lower your carb intake you'll probably see that number cut nearly in half again.

PrewrittenDestiny · 08-11-2007, 04:52 AM

now are these insulin levels the same levels they check to see if you are insulin resistant im getting confused now

Saille · 08-15-2007, 02:24 AM

Your morning fasting number is a blood glucose reading taken before you eat or drink anything or do any activities. It is used sometimes by old school doctors to diagnose diabetes, although it's not considered the best test these days.

I can see where it could be used to try to gauge insulin resistance....for many people the morning fasting number is the first place you see a change for the worse (which is why it's sometimes still used to diagnose diabetes). But I've never been tested just for insulin resistance so I don't know much about it.