Is it possible to periodically take some tests to be sure that you are not sick with anything, or to “catch” a terrible disease at an early stage, when it responds well to treatment?

Olga Alexandrova, a therapist of the highest category, answers:

- The test results allow not only to diagnose existing diseases and changes in the body, but also to prevent them. Despite the eloquence of many laboratory indicators, only a doctor can make a diagnosis, since changes in some indicators may not occur against the background of pathological processes, but due to the influence of external factors, for example, taking certain medications or intense physical activity.

Heart attack, heart failure, atherosclerosis

Diseases of the cardiovascular system

You must take a general and biochemical blood test.

How often: 2 times a year.

Important indicators:

The most important is the level of cholesterol in the blood. High cholesterol levels indicate a risk of developing atherosclerosis and coronary heart disease.

The norm for total cholesterol is 3.61-5.21 mmol/l.

The level of “bad” low-density cholesterol (LDL) is from 2,250 to 4,820 mmol/l.

The level of “good” high-density cholesterol (HDL) is from 0.71 to 1.71 mmol/l.

Also important:

ALT (alanine aminotransferase) and AST (aspartate aminotransferase) - an increase in these indicators indicates problems with the muscle cells of the heart and the occurrence of myocardial infarction.

The ALT norm in women is up to 31 U/l, in men - up to 41 U/l.

The AST norm in women is up to 31 U/l), in men - up to 35-41 U/l.

C-reactive protein is an indicator of inflammation or tissue necrosis.

The norm for everyone is less than 5 mg/l.

Thrombosis

Must take: coagulogram. It gives an idea of ​​the coagulability and viscosity of blood, the possibility of blood clots or bleeding.

How often: 1 time per year.

Important indicators:

APTT - the period of time during which a blood clot forms - 27-49 seconds.

Thrombosed index - the ratio of plasma clotting time and control plasma clotting time - 95-105%.

Fibrinogen is the first factor of the blood coagulation system - 2.0-4.0 g/l, or 5.8-11.6 µmol/l.

Platelets - 200-400 x 109/l.

Diabetes mellitus

You must take a blood sugar test from a finger prick (taken strictly on an empty stomach).

How often: 2 times a year.

Important indicator:

Blood glucose level: normal - 3.3-5.5 mmol/l.

You must take a blood test for glycated hemoglobin.

The norm is less than 6%.

6.0-6.5% - increased risk of developing diabetes mellitus and its complications, according to WHO.

Oncology

There are several types of tests that can detect cancer at an early stage.

After 40 years of age, tests must be taken once every 2 years.

Colorectal cancer

You must take a stool test for occult blood.

The presence of blood indicates hidden bleeding from the lower gastrointestinal tract, which may indicate the presence of a tumor.

Cervical cancer

You must take: a cytological smear from the cervix, which is taken during a gynecological examination. Shows precancerous changes in the mucous membrane of the cervix - CIN (cervical intraepithelial neoplasia).

Leukemia (blood cancer)

You need to take a general blood test.

With leukemia, the number of lymphocytes changes (it can be higher or lower, but it is never normal. The level of platelets falls (can be 4-5 times lower than the lower limit of normal). ESR in leukemia increases significantly.

Ulcer, colitis, etc. diseases of the gastrointestinal tract

Must pass: coprogram.

How often: 1 time every 2 years.

Allows you to identify diseases of the intestines, biliary system, and pancreas.

To diagnose Helicobacter pylori infection, which causes gastritis and stomach ulcers, a urease breath test is used (one of the metabolic products of the Helicobacter pylori bacterium is urease).

Endocrine diseases

You must take a blood test for thyroid hormones.

How often: once a year or after severe stress.

Important indicator:

The hormone TSH (thyroid-stimulating hormone) is the main regulator of the thyroid gland, which is produced by the pituitary gland.

The norm is 0.4-4.0 mU/l. An elevated blood TSH level may indicate hypothyroidism, a disease of the thyroid gland (insufficient amounts of hormones are produced). A low level of TSH is called thyrotoxicosis and is characterized by an excess of thyroid hormones in the body, which can lead to disruption of the nervous system, as well as disrupt the functioning of cells responsible for the correct rhythm of the heart.

Hepatitis

You must take a blood test from a vein to check for antibodies.

How often: once a year or after operations, questionable sexual relations.

The presence of hepatitis can be indirectly judged by the presence of bilirubin in a urine test. Normally it shouldn't be there.

Nephritis, pyelonephritis and other diseases of the kidneys and urinary tract

You must take a general urine test.

How often: 2 times a year.

Important indicator- protein concentration. It should be below 0.140 g/l.

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Answer to the question " why get tested "is quite obvious and easily explainable. Usually a person goes to see a doctor when he feels unwell and the first signs of a disease appear. It is impossible to make a diagnosis based on an initial examination, so the doctor writes out directions for certain tests (urine, blood, feces, etc. ).

To detect the presence of a hidden disease in the body and maintain normal health, it is necessary to undergo basic tests about once a year. However, many people neglect such a simple rule and turn to a specialist when the disease begins to manifest itself “in all its glory.” Laboratory tests make it possible to make a correct diagnosis in a timely manner and begin effective treatment.

Even if a person does not experience any discomfort or malaise, it is necessary to periodically get tested in order to prevent costly treatment in the future. Laboratory studies provide the most accurate results, which allows us to study the state of the body at the cellular and molecular level.

When to get tested

If the question is why get tested , is quite obvious, many are interested in how often this needs to be done. Experts recommend undergoing medical examinations at least once a year.

If a person experiences discomfort, weakness and other ailments, you should not put off visiting a doctor and wait a whole year or a year and a half. It is necessary to contact a specialist as soon as possible and obtain a list of necessary studies. In the case of a chronic disease, the frequency of testing is discussed with the attending physician. You may need to have some tests every six months or more often.

Each test prescribed by a doctor is carried out to obtain specific information and has certain advantages and disadvantages over other research methods. Thus, X-ray or ultrasound examination allows one to assess the condition of internal organs, while information about functional impairment remains inaccessible.

Blood test for biochemistry provides the results necessary to study the functioning of the liver, kidneys, gall bladder and other organs, while it is impossible to detect the presence of infection in the body. To determine the infectious disease, it is necessary to conduct another study - serological blood test .

In order to study the state of the microflora and make a diagnosis of “dysbacteriosis”, it is necessary to submit stool for an appropriate analysis. Therefore, to determine various diseases, it is necessary to undergo different types of analyzes .

Is there a universal method for determining the disease?

Many diseases “sit” in the body and do not manifest themselves for a long time. The first symptoms of such ailments can be largely similar and manifest themselves in the same way: weakness, increased fatigue, drowsiness (or, conversely, insomnia).

Many attribute such phenomena to stress or vitamin deficiency. Even if a person feels absolutely healthy, periodically undergoing the simplest tests ( general urine test and blood, gynecological tests etc.) will allow you to identify a hidden disease and begin timely treatment.

Do tests always give correct results?

Does it happen that the study did not confirm the presence of a disease, but in fact the body suffers from an illness? Sometimes situations occur when tests for an infectious disease do not detect virus pathogens or antibodies to it in the blood. A similar phenomenon occurs in the case of the incubation (or latent) period of the disease.

This can also happen after taking antibiotics, which temporarily neutralize the symptoms of the disease. That is why it is very important to follow certain recommendations before conducting the study. In order for the analysis to help create a true picture of the disease, it is necessary to inform the doctor about the use of medications and follow all the specialist’s recommendations. In some cases it may be necessary re-testing .

We all, one way or another, have to get tested. Moreover, this often applies not only to sick people, but also to healthy people. It is unlikely that there is at least one person who has never undergone a medical examination in his life (for the military registration and enlistment office, obtaining a certificate for a swimming pool or insurance, before traveling abroad, when applying for a job) or medical examination.

Ideally, each of us should have a personal doctor who will tell us what and how to do when taking tests. However, the reality is that most often we communicate with a therapist from the district clinic, who does not explain anything. Meanwhile, when handing over a referral for even a banal general blood and urine test, the patient should be told about preparations for the study. But they don’t tell... However, the fault here is not only the unprofessionalism of doctors or their reluctance to work, but the operating conditions of the native healthcare system. The time spent on seeing a patient, according to the standards, should be seven minutes for the patient and about five if the person came for a certificate or for a medical examination. In such conditions, we would have time to write out all the directions, where to clarify why it is needed and how to take tests.

A clear illustration of “analytical” illiteracy are the results of a small survey that was informally conducted by employees of one of the laboratories. Based on its results, it turned out, for example, that most of the line with jars was not aware that before collecting urine it was necessary to wash the causative area. No less indicative are patients in whom x-rays and injections were done immediately before donating blood. To the question “how can this be?” the answer is almost always the same - “nobody told us...”

Of course, to talk about the details of preparing for the collection of all existing tests, you will have to write a thick, thick reference book. Therefore, we will limit ourselves to the most important ones, which we take almost every year and without fail. An educational program on “banal” analyzes will not hurt anyone.

Blood test

The requirements for a general blood test apply to all tests, except for very specific ones - for the latter, additional restrictions are simply added.

General rules for donating blood

• strictly on an empty stomach (no earlier than 12 hours after the last meal): dinner the day before should be light and early, and the entire previous day (ideally even 2-3) should abstain from fatty foods;
• 24 hours in advance, any alcohol, thermal procedures (bath and sauna) and physical activity are excluded (it is better to postpone the gym and chopping wood at the dacha);
• tests are taken before procedures (X-rays, injections, massages, etc.) and taking medications;
• if repeated studies are necessary, it is advisable to do the sampling at the same time of day;
• You need to rest for 5-10 minutes in front of the laboratory door (this is the justification for the queues).

When donating blood for glucose in addition to this, you should not brush your teeth or chew gum, and morning tea/coffee (even unsweetened) is completely contraindicated.

Even if you can’t live without a morning cup of coffee, endure it. It will dramatically change your glucose levels. They will also be affected by contraceptives, twenty drops of cognac in evening tea, diuretics and other medications.

Biochemical blood test

For the reliability of biochemistry, it is advisable to refuse dinner. When prescribing this test, you need to extract information from the doctor, even under torture, about how to adjust your diet and how to take medications on the day before donating blood.

For example, when studying bile pigments, the picture is distorted by foods that cause coloration in the blood serum - pumpkin, beets, carrots, citrus fruits. Eating a pork chop the day before will increase the level of potassium and uric acid in the blood. And this is one hundredth of what can affect biochemistry.

Donating blood for hormones

Unless the doctor advises otherwise, a month before the study, stop all hormonal medications. When donating blood to determine the level of sex hormones, you will also have to abstain from sex (in any form) and sexual arousal for at least 24 hours. Otherwise, at best, you will have to retake an expensive test, and at worst, you will receive inadequate therapy.

Determining the level of thyroid hormones requires eliminating medications with iodine and avoiding iodized salt.

Hormonal levels are unstable and depend on many factors, so if the result of a hormone test is suspiciously off the scale, it is better to repeat the study several times in different laboratories. The pleasure, of course, is not cheap, but given the effect of hormonal therapy on the body, you should not neglect rechecking.

Urinalysis

General urine test the most common in medical practice, along with a general blood test. But, despite this, most patients are not aware that before peeing in a jar, they need to wash the external genitalia (always towards the anus, and not away from it) and wipe dry with a clean linen napkin.

Neglect of hygiene, along with the use of dirty dishes or utensils made of unstable plastic, are the cause of the most common errors in analysis results.

As with a blood test, diet and medications can change the test result for the worse. After some medications or foods (for example, beets, vitamins), the color of the urine changes (who will tell the laboratory assistant about this?), and alcohol 24 hours before the test is strictly contraindicated. There is a known case when a patient who forgot to report alcoholic libations was sought to be taken to the hospital with suspected liver disease. The guy, who was sunbathing in Sochi at the time, became very nervous before the situation became clearer.

For general analysis use the first morning portion of urine (the previous urination should be no later than 4-6 hours). Even if you forget to pee in a jar for the twentieth time when you are sleepy, you cannot fill it in the evening, otherwise the results will surprise not only you, but also the doctors.

The first few milliliters are drained past the container, the rest into a clean container, but not into a pot or vessel, the sterility of which cannot be guaranteed. In this case, you do not need to bring a liter jar to the laboratory for general analysis - laboratory assistants do not indulge in urine therapy, and 50-100 ml of urine is enough for analysis.

Collection of daily analysis

All urine, except morning urine, goes into a dark glass container; if there is none, then the material for analysis should be stored exclusively in a dark, cool place. Again, only 50-100 ml of liquid is sent to the laboratory, however, it is important to record its total amount.

By the way, incidents often happen with daily urine. So, pregnant women came to one laboratory more than once to check their sugar with urine for a routine analysis, after standing for a day. The girls were firmly convinced that this was daily urine.

Research on Nechiporenko

The middle portion of morning urine in the amount of 25-50 ml is analyzed, the first and last are poured into another container. This study requires particularly careful hygiene - it is prescribed when kidney disease is suspected and any “foreign” impurities can be misinterpreted. Mucus with leukocytes from the genital organs will end up in the jar, and the patient will be treated, for example, for pyelonephritis.

Stool analysis

Here you can briefly dwell on what is not recommended to be done before collecting material:

• you should not send stool for examination after enemas and x-ray examination of the stomach;
• three days before the test, the doctor must stop medications that affect secretion, increase intestinal motility and change the color of stool (laxatives, enzyme preparations, barium, bismuth, iron preparations, kaolin, activated carbon and other sorbents, rectal suppositories);
• if the diet is not specified separately, then it is not necessary to follow it, however, holidays with feasts are not welcome

All these recommendations are only suitable for routine examinations. If the situation is urgent (for example, the patient was brought by ambulance to the hospital), then, if possible, you just need to tell the doctor about what may affect the reliability of the tests.

If the patient, for his part, has done everything that depended on him, then it’s up to the laboratory. And we cannot help but add a warning that has set our teeth on edge: the result of the analysis is not a diagnosis, it can only be determined by the attending physician. He knows better how and with what to treat the patient. In addition, laboratories also contain people who can make mistakes. If the eye of a specialist will most likely notice an obvious discrepancy, then when trying to self-medicate, such a mistake can be costly.

Hormones are biologically active substances that are produced by various glands of the endocrine system and then enter the blood. They affect the functioning of the entire body, largely determining a person’s physical and mental health. Hormone tests help to significantly clarify the clinical picture of the disease and prevent its development.

Of course, not every pathology requires urgent such tests, especially since the human body produces dozens of types of hormones, each of which has its own “sphere of influence.”

Hormonal tests: when and why are they prescribed?

Hormone levels are most often determined in the blood, less often in the urine. Hormone tests may be prescribed, for example, in the following cases:

• disturbances in the development of certain organs;
• pregnancy diagnosis;
• infertility;
• pregnancy with threat of miscarriage;
• kidney dysfunction;
• metabolic disorders;
• problems with hair, nails and skin;
• depression and other mental problems;
• tumor diseases.

A referral for analysis can be given by a pediatrician, therapist, endocrinologist, gynecologist, gastroenterologist, or psychiatrist.

Preparing for hormone tests

What rules should be followed when donating blood to analyze hormone levels so that the results are as accurate as possible? It is necessary to refrain from eating for 7-12 hours before blood collection. During the day before the study, alcohol, coffee, physical activity, stress, and sexual contact should be excluded. The possibility of taking medications during this period should be discussed with your doctor. When studying hormonal status, it is important for women to know which day of the cycle they should take tests. So, blood is donated for follicle-stimulating hormone, luteinizing hormones and prolactin on days 3–5 of the cycle, for testosterone on 8–10, and for progesterone and estradiol on days 21–22.

If you donate daily urine, you should strictly adhere to the collection scheme and observe the storage conditions.

General principles of conducting and interpreting analysis

Blood for research is taken from a vein in the morning on an empty stomach. The study period is usually 1–2 days. The obtained result is compared by the doctor with the hormone concentration standards developed taking into account the patient’s gender, age and other factors. The patient himself can study these norms.

Laboratory diagnostic methods

Only a specialist (endocrinologist, gynecologist, therapist, gastroenterologist, etc.) can decide which tests need to be taken for hormones based on the results of the examination. Moreover, the number of tests is commensurate with the number of hormones, and there are more than 100 of them in the body. In the article we will consider only the most common types of studies.

Assessment of somatotropic function of the pituitary gland necessary for people who have gigantism, acromegaly (enlargement of the skull, hands and feet) or dwarfism. The normal level of somatotropic hormone in the blood is 0.2–13 mU/l, somatomedin-C is 220–996 ng/ml at the age of 14–16 years, 66–166 ng/ml after 80 years.

Pathologies of the pituitary-adrenal system manifest themselves in disruption of the body's homeostasis: increased blood clotting, increased carbohydrate synthesis, decreased protein and mineral metabolism. To diagnose such pathological conditions, it is necessary to determine the content of the following hormones in the body:

• Adrenocorticotropic hormone is responsible for skin pigmentation and the breakdown of fats; the norm is less than 22 pmol/l in the first half of the day and no more than 6 pmol/l in the second.
• Cortisol regulates metabolism, the norm is 250–720 nmol/l in the first half of the day and 50–250 nmol/l in the second (the difference in concentration should be at least 100 nmol/l).
• Free cortisol - given if you suspect the presence of Itsenko-Cushing's disease. The amount of hormone in urine is 138–524 nmol/day.

These tests are often prescribed by endocrinologists for obesity or underweight; they are taken to determine whether there are serious hormonal imbalances and which ones.

Thyroid dysfunction manifested by increased irritability, changes in body weight, increased blood pressure, and is fraught with gynecological diseases and infertility. What tests should be taken for thyroid hormones if at least several of the above symptoms are detected? First of all, we are talking about studying the levels of triiodothyronine (T3), thyroxine (T4) and thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), which regulate metabolic processes, mental activity, as well as the functions of the cardiovascular, reproductive and digestive systems. Normal hormone levels look like this:

• Total T3 – 1.1–3.15 pmol/l, free – 2.6–5.7 pmol/l.
• Total T4 – 60–140 nmol/l, free – 100–120 nmol/l.
• TSH – 0.2–4.2 mIU/l.
• Antibodies to thyroglobulin – up to 115 IU/ml.
• Antibodies to thyroid peroxidase – 35 IU/ml.
• T-Uptake – 0.32–0.48 units.
• Thyroglobulin – up to 55 ng/ml.
• Antibodies to microsomal antigen of thyrocytes – less than 1.0 U/l.
• Autoantibodies to thyroid-stimulating hormone receptors – 0–0.99 IU/l.

Failures in the regulation of calcium and phosphorus metabolism lead to osteoporosis or increased bone mineralization. Parathyroid hormone promotes calcium absorption in the intestinal tract, as well as reabsorption in the kidneys. The content of parathyroid hormone in the blood of an adult is 8–24 ng/l. Calcitonin promotes the deposition of calcium in the bones, slowing its absorption in the gastrointestinal tract and increasing excretion in the kidneys. The normal level of calcitonin in the blood is 5.5–28 pmol/l. It is recommended to donate blood for tests of this type when menopause begins, since women during this period are most susceptible to osteoporosis.

The body of any person produces both male and female hormones. Their correct balance ensures the stability of the reproductive system, normal secondary sexual characteristics, and an even mental state. The production of certain sex hormones may be disrupted due to age, bad habits, heredity, and endocrine diseases.

Reproductive system dysfunctions, caused by hormonal imbalances, lead to male and female infertility, and also provoke miscarriages in pregnant women. If there are such problems, they donate blood to analyze female hormones, such as:

• Macroprolactin is the norm for men: 44.5–375 µIU/ml, for women: 59–619 µIU/ml.
• Prolactin – the norm is 40 to 600 mU/l.
• Pituitary gonadotropic hormones and prolactin - before menopause the ratio is 1.
• Follicle-stimulating hormone: its content in the follicular phase is normally 4-10 U/l, during the ovulation period - 10-25 U/l, during the luteal phase - 2-8 U/l.
• Estrogens (normal in the follicular phase is 5–53 pg/ml, during the ovulation period – 90–299 pg/ml and 11–116 pg/ml during the luteal phase) and progestins.
• Luteinizing hormone - the norm in the follicular phase is 1-20 U/l, during the ovulation period - 26-94 U/l, during the luteal phase -0.61-16.3 U/l.
• Estradiol – the norm in the follicular phase is 68–1269 nmol/l, during the ovulation period – 131–1655 nmol/l, during the luteal phase – 91–861 nmol/l.
• Progesterone is the norm in the follicular phase - 0.3-0.7 µg/l, ovulation period - 0.7-1.6 µg/l, during the luteal phase 4.7-8.0 µg/l.

Assessing androgen function produced for infertility, obesity, high cholesterol, hair loss, juvenile acne, decreased potency. So:

• Testosterone - normal levels in men are 12–33, in women – 0.31–3.78 nmol/l (hereinafter in the list, the first indicator is the norm for men, the second for women).
• Dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate – 10–20 and 3.5–10 mg/day.
• Sex hormone binding globulin is –13–71 and 28–112 nmol/l.
• 17-hydroxyprogesterone – 0.3–2.0 and 0.07–2.9 ng/ml.
• 17-ketosteroids: 10.0–25.0 and 7–20 mg/day.
• Dihydrotestosterone – 250–990 and 24–450 ng/l.
• Free testosterone – 5.5–42 and 4.1 pg/ml.
• Androstenedione – 75–205 and 85–275 ng/100 ml.
• Androstenediol glucuronide – 3.4–22 and 0.5–5.4 ng/ml.
• Anti-Mullerian hormone – 1.3–14.8 and 1.0–10.6 ng/ml.
• Inhibin B – 147–364 and 40–100 pg/ml.

Diagnosis of diabetes and assessment of endocrine pancreatic function necessary for abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, excess weight gain, dry mouth, itching, swelling. Below are the names and standard indicators of pancreatic hormones:

• C-peptide – 0.78-1.89 ng/ml.
• Insulin – 3.0–25.0 µU/ml.
• Insulin resistance assessment index (HOMA-IR) – less than 2.77.
• Proinsulin – 0.5–3.2 pmol/l.

Pregnancy monitoring carried out in order to prevent developmental pathologies and fetal death. At the antenatal clinic, when registering, they tell you in detail what tests for hormones need to be carried out and why you should donate blood for a hormone test during pregnancy. In general, the following are investigated:

• Chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) - its concentration depends on the stage of pregnancy: from 25–200 mU/ml at 1–2 weeks to 21,000–300,000 mU/ml at 7–11 weeks.
• Free b-hCG – from 25–300 mU/ml at 1–2 weeks of pregnancy to 10,000–60,000 mU/ml at 26–37 weeks.
• Free estriol (E3) – from 0.6–2.5 nmol/l at 6–7 weeks to 35.0–111.0 nmol/l at 39–40 weeks.
• Pregnancy-associated plasma protein A (PAPP-A) - the test is done from the 7th to the 14th week, the norm is from 0.17–1.54 mU/ml at 8–9 weeks to 1.47–8.54 honey/ml at 13–14 weeks.
• Placental lactogen - from 0.05–1.7 mg/l at 10–14 weeks to 4.4–11.7 mg/l at 38 weeks.
• Prenatal screening for trisomy 1st trimester (PRISCA-1) and 2nd trimester of pregnancy (PRISCA-2).

Malfunctions of the sympathoadrenal system should be sought in the presence of panic attacks and other autonomic disorders. To do this, you need to donate blood for analysis and check which hormones from the list are outside the normal range:

• Adrenaline (112–658 pg/ml).
• Norepinephrine (less than 10 pg/ml).
• Metanephrine (less than 320 mcg/day).
• Dopamine (10–100 pg/ml).
• Homovanillic acid (1.4–8.8 mg/day).
• Normetanephrine (less than 390 mcg/day).
• Vanillylmandelic acid (2.1–7.6 mg/day).
• 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (3.0–15.0 mg/day).
• Plasma histamine (less than 9.3 nmol/l).
• Serum serotonin (40–80 μg/l).

State of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system, which is responsible for maintaining the volume of circulating blood, allow us to evaluate hormones such as aldosterone (in the blood) - 30–355 pg/ml and renin (in plasma) - 2.8–39.9 μIU/ml in the patient’s supine position and 4 .4–46.1 µIU/ml – standing.

Regulation of appetite and fat metabolism carried out using the hormone leptin, the concentration of which in the blood normally reaches 1.1–27.6 ng/ml in men and 0.5–13.8 ng/ml in women.

Assessment of the state of endocrine function of the gastrointestinal tract carried out by determining the level of gastrin (less than 10–125 pg/ml) and stimulated gastrin-17 (less than 2.5 pmol/l)

Assessment of hormonal regulation of erythropoiesis(erythrocyte formation) is based on data on the amount of erythropoietin in the blood (5.6–28.9 IU/l in men and 8–30 IU/l in women).

The decision about what tests need to be taken for hormones should be made based on the existing symptoms and preliminary diagnosis, as well as taking into account concomitant diseases.