Blood Tests for Women: Functions & Types
Blood tests are one of the most common medical tests. Doctors suggest blood tests to see your current health condition.
Blood is a great insight into your body. This test is not a diagnosis but a helping hand to diagnose you if you’re having irregular symptoms.
There are many types of blood tests, such as checking reproductive hormone levels, counting blood cells and platelets, monitoring the profile of an organ, checking minerals and proteins, etc.
Some common types of blood tests suggested for women are hormone tests, hCG tests, complete blood count, thyroid function tests, STI, kidney profile tests, glucose tests, and more.
Why Do I Need a Blood Test?
To look into your current health: Getting regular blood tests every few months especially once you’re older is necessary. It helps you to keep track of your health and its natural changes.
To find out the cause behind irregular symptoms: Unfortunately, most people visit the doctor only when they face out-of-ordinary symptoms. Your doctor will suggest a blood test according to your needs.
To see the progress of current treatment: You will need routine blood tests once you are under any sort of treatment to see how well it is going.
To find out if you’re at risk: Blood tests can be used as markers for heart issues, diabetes, and more diseases.
How Can I Do a Blood Test?
When you consult a doctor or visit a hospital, you will be suggested a blood test according to your condition.
In hospitals, nurses will take your blood for testing. In clinics, you will be asked to visit the blood test corner.
How To Prepare for A Blood Test
Sometimes you will be asked to take a blood test when visiting the hospital. There is no time to prepare in such cases.
However, certain blood tests require day-long fasting (only water). If you’re on anticoagulant medication to prevent blood clots, you need to get off them for a day. Talk with your doctor about how you can prepare.
How Is Blood Test Done?
The test does not take more than 10-15 minutes. A trained medical personnel will take your blood.
The blood is taken usually from inside the arm joint or elbow, the wrist or the finger.
A tourniquet will be tied around your arm. Once the pressure is created, the practitioner will find a vein and clean the skin with alcohol wipes.
They will use a needle to take blood. You may feel a prick at first. The needle will be connected to a blood vial which will collect your blood. This vial will be sent for testing.
Once they take out the needle, they will use cotton to clean you and put a bandaid on top. Some swelling is to be expected but it goes away after a few moments.
You will be able to collect your test results either the next day or after a few days.
Results
If all levels are normal, that means you are in good shape. However, if you are showing irregular symptoms and you receive a normal blood test result, your doctor will suggest more medical tests for further investigation.
Similarly, an abnormal blood test does not always mean a bad medical condition. It’s important to consult with a doctor or health professional for the correct diagnosis and further steps.
Types of Blood Tests
Complete Blood Count (CBC)
CBC is a very common blood test. Usually, this is part of routine checkups and treatment progress checkups. This blood test checks your red blood cells (RBC), white blood cells (WBC), and platelets.
High levels of red blood cells could indicate bone marrow problems, dehydration, pulmonale (right side heart issues), etc.
Low levels of red blood cells can be signs of anaemia. This is quite common in women, especially in the South Asia region. The low count could be a signal for kidney issues, thalassemia, malnutrition, internal bleeding and more.
Abnormal white blood cells indicate infection, allergies, inflammation, immune system diseases, blood cancer, etc.
Abnormal platelets could mean blood clots or bleeding.
Basic Metabolic Panel (BMP)
BMP also known as a blood chemistry test is done to assess minerals, glucose and other natural chemicals in blood. This test is performed on the plasma of the blood. It provides insights into the organ functions, especially the kidneys, electrolytes, and fluids of the body.
A basic metabolic panel test inspects eight substances in the body. They are calcium, sodium, potassium, chloride, glucose, bicarbonate, creatinine, and blood urea nitrogen (BUN).
Depending on the treatment and instructions, you may need to fast for a minimum of 8 hours before the blood test.
Abnormal results could be a sign of diabetes (high glucose), kidney issues (high creatinine and sodium), breathing problems, irregular electrolyte levels, and more.
Diabetes Blood Test.
There is no such thing as the one and only blood test for diabetes. There are several options for detecting this disease.
Diabetic women are at more risk of heart disease than diabetic men. Furthermore, gestational diabetes is a huge risk for both mother and child.
All people over 40 should get regularly tested for Type 2 diabetes. However, people of South Asian origin are more at risk for Type 2 diabetes than any other group. Both men and women over 25 years old must be checked regularly.
A1C Test: It is also known as the glycated haemoglobin test because it checks the sugar percentage of haemoglobin. This test shows the average blood sugar level for the last two to three months. You need to fast before taking it.
A sugar level below 5.7% is considered normal. However, 6.5% or more means you have developed diabetes. The percentages in between indicate prediabetes.
Fasting Blood Sugar Test: You need to fast the night before for this sugar test. 126mg/dL or more blood sugar level means you have diabetes.
Random Blood Sugar Test: There’s no need for fasting for this test. You can take it randomly regardless of your last meal. 200 mg/dL or more sugar level suggests diabetes.
Hormone Blood Test
Hormone blood tests for women are important. Usually, gynaecologists assess the patient’s symptoms and suggest this test. Women face many irregular symptoms due to the menstrual cycle and its changes.
Our hormones are always fluctuating. Since hormones impact our entire body, our whole system is disrupted. If you face the following signs, you should get tested:
- Irregular menstrual cycle
- Absent menstrual cycle
- Heavy and painful menstrual bleeding
- PCOS symptoms or hormonal imbalance symptoms (baldness, excessive body hair, acne)
- Menopausal Symptoms (hot flashes, vaginal dryness, mood swings)
- Infertility
- Abnormal vaginal bleeding
- Delayed pubescent development
- These hormones are usually checked by this blood test:
- Estrogen
- Progesterone
- Testosterone
- Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH)
- Thyroid Hormones
- Luteinizing Hormone
Your doctor could also suggest tests for cortisol, glucose, melatonin, serotonin, growth hormone, and more according to your symptoms and concerns.
hCG Blood Test
This is another type of hormone blood test. It is done to determine pregnancy. This test checks the levels of the hormone hCG in your blood. Some people opt for the hCG urine test, such as home pregnancy tests.
The blood test is more accurate than the home pregnancy kit. It can detect the smallest amount of hCG only 7-10 days after you become pregnant.
The hCG blood test can also help to keep updated with your pregnancy as the hCG hormone is produced when you are pregnant. Once the fertilised egg implants itself in the uterus or womb, the placenta starts producing this hormone. It will keep increasing as pregnancy goes on.
However, ovarian cancer and testicular cancer (for men) also produce hCG. If you have a suspicion or want to monitor your disease, you can also use this blood test. A higher hCG level suggests the disease spreading.
Other blood tests include:
- Lipoprotein Panel
- Comprehensive Metabolic Panel (CMP)
- Blood Clotting Test
- Bone Marrow Test
- Blood Enzyme Test
- Electrolyte Panel
Summary
Blood tests can be a lifesaver if you maintain regular health checkups. Your blood can indicate irregularities in your body easily. Depending on your symptoms, your doctor will suggest a certain type of blood test.
For women, CBC, hormone tests, pregnancy tests, glucose tests, and CMP can help to manoeuvre not only your reproductive health but also your overall well-being.
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