Is it necessary to take tests? How to properly submit urine for analysis. Analysis for other hormones

The human body is infinitely complex. The coordination of the work of various body systems is ensured by the nervous, hormonal and immune systems. Hormones play the role of a communicator; deviations in their composition change the state of the body. To study it, a blood test for hormones is performed. Blood for hormones on an empty stomach or not? - patients ask themselves this question before donating blood for analysis.

Reasons for testing blood for hormones

Any doctor can prescribe a laboratory blood test to assess the state of hormonal changes.

For women, a blood test for hormones will be prescribed by a doctor in the following cases:

• disorders of monthly cycles;
• determining the causes of infertility;
• weight pathologies;
• chronic miscarriage;
• pathological acne;
• diagnosis of mastopathy;
• pregnancy planning;
• determining the early phase of pregnancy;
• gynecological pathologies.

Men will be tested for hormones if:

• diagnosing the causes of infertility;
• suspicion of testicular tumors;
• renal failure caused by pathologies in the functioning of the adrenal glands;
• obesity;
• growth pathologies;
• pathological enlargement of the mammary glands.

For women, a blood test for hormones is most often caused by problems with pregnancy and bearing a child. For men - determination of the amount of thyroid hormone.

Rules for preparing for the test

The results of the blood test are not affected by gender or age. There are general rules for preparing a patient for donating blood for hormone testing.

For research, venous blood is taken before 11 a.m.

The body's hormonal background responds to many factors, such as nutrition, physical and nervous activity, sexual life - to obtain the correct result, you need to adhere to a certain diet and routine. To do this you need:

• three to four days before donating blood, establish a gentle diet with fractional meals and low-calorie dishes, excluding carbonated drinks, alcohol, baked goods, and fatty foods;
• Detoxification infusion therapy cannot be carried out using droppers.

The day before the test you need to:

• exclude any physical activity - fitness, running, exercise equipment; you should not be nervous immediately before taking the test;
• physical activity at least 30 minutes before the test;
• smoking, drinking caffeinated drinks, brushing your teeth.

Medicines are not allowed; if necessary, their use must be postponed to a later time; analysis is not performed for colds or when using hormonal drugs (especially for thyroid diseases). A week before donating blood, you should exclude the use of hormonal drugs and tomography. It is not recommended to eat on the day of donating blood..

Analysis of human sex hormones

Blood donation for analysis of follicle-stimulating hormone is carried out before 11 o'clock in the afternoon on an empty stomach for women from days 3 to 8 or from days 19 to 21 of the physiological cycle; There are no daily restrictions for donating blood for men. In women, this substance is responsible for the maturation of follicles and the synthesis of the hormonal substance estrogen. In men, this hormone regulates testosterone levels, allowing sperm to mature.

Blood for luteinizing hormone is taken for analysis at the same time in the monthly cycle as FSH, and also without breakfast. The highest level of the substance is observed during ovulation, then it gently falls to a minimum state. To study the possibility of conception, the relationship between lutein and FSH is essential

For men, it is necessary for the production of globulin, a substance that binds hormones that ensure the penetration of testosterone, which allows sperm to mature.

An analysis of prolactin levels is determined using blood taken from the patient in the first and second stages of the monthly cycle. She gets up to eat before 11 o'clock in the morning. Before taking the test, the patient must remain calm for 30 minutes. A sufficient level of the hormone ensures normal ovulation and good secretion of breast milk after childbirth.

The composition of estradiol in the blood can be studied throughout the entire cycle; a normal level ensures the correct course of menstruation and the development of the egg.

It has two peak values ​​in the blood - the first 36 hours before ovulation, then the body approaches the second peak value after the release of the egg. To study the possibility of conception, a comparison with testosterone levels is necessary. The rules for collecting blood for analysis are similar to blood sampling and the conditions for all hormones - no later than 11 o'clock in the afternoon, do not have breakfast.

Blood sampling for progesterone testing is carried out before 12:00 pm on an empty stomach from the 19th to 21st days of the monthly cycle. It ensures the attachment of the egg to the mucous membrane and the preservation of pregnancy.

Donating blood for testosterone hormones is allowed until 11 a.m., regardless of gender. The purpose of the analysis is to study the level of the substance - since the hormone is male, too much weight in a woman’s blood inhibits ovulation and causes miscarriage. If the norm in men is below the required level, then this leads to low-active sperm and infertility DEA sulfate is produced by the adrenal glands, its presence does not correlate with the monthly cycle, blood is taken before 11 o’clock every day, it is found in the blood of both men and women, although it is believed male sex hormone, responsible for the production of male and female reproductive cells, the normal course of pregnancy. This hormone allows you to monitor the state of the thyroid gland.

Following a gentle diet several days before donating blood for hormones, eliminating physical and sexual activity, and nervous tension allows you to level out atypical hormonal levels, determine the best time for conception, and identify problems in this area. Proper prescription of medications will help correct hormone levels and become pregnant.

Study of thyroid hormones

They are responsible for the metabolic rate, oxygen absorption and heat release by the main organs of the body, and influence the production of germ cells.

Triiodothyronine (T3) is produced by gland cells, dependent on the hormone TSH. Precedes the production of T4. Blood is drawn before meals until 11 o'clock in the afternoon. The patient must be at rest for at least 30 minutes before the procedure.

T4 (Thyroxine) exceeds the level of T3, regulates the speed of metabolism, the absorption of oxygen and the release of heat by almost all organs of the human body.

Analysis for other hormones

Leptin, as a hormone, regulates human appetite. Blood is donated on an empty stomach, the last meal should be taken no later than 8 hours before blood sampling for analysis, and on the day before the procedure there should be only a light meal.

The hormone gastrin regulates the production of gastric juice. The normal value for an adult is from 13 to 115 µU/ml. Too high corresponds to gastritis, cancer, too low - hypothyroidism.

The day before donating blood for analysis, you need to follow a gentle diet, do not drink coffee or smoke.

The hormone somatotropin is produced by the pituitary gland, disturbances cause hormonal imbalance, the norm correlates with age and reaches a peak at 16-18 years (the norm is 10 mIU/ml). Before the analysis, you need to not eat, be at rest for at least 24 hours, and not exercise for 3 days.

The hormone insulin, produced by the pancreas in insufficient quantities, causes a condition in which sugar is not broken down in the body, and when accumulated, it determines the painful condition, diabetes mellitus. Normally, the average blood level should not exceed 2.7-10.4 µU/ml. Blood is drawn from a vein before 11 a.m. You cannot drink or eat 8 hours before the test. To the question “Can I drink water before donating blood?” We answer - in severe conditions it is possible.

Reasons for deviations of analyzes from true indicators

In some cases, the resulting analysis may be incorrect. If the patient followed all the precautions before taking the test, the cause of the deviation may be:

• infectious or invasive lesions;
• physical exercise;
• patient's weather dependence;
• previous abortion;
• genital tract infection;
• compliance with diet or religious dietary requirements;
• severe stress;
• work on night shifts;
• use of food additives.

7-10 days after the first test, the doctor may prescribe a repeat one to determine the true value of hormones in the blood.

In contact with

We all know that prevention is good, but leaving things to chance is bad. But in some cases, the best is the enemy of the good. For example, when it comes to cancer testing. Many clinics and laboratories offer analysis for tumor markers. If you are a three times healthy person, come, donate blood and live in peace. More precisely, restless. Three cool specialists - obstetrician-gynecologist, Ph.D. Dmitry Lubnin , endocrinologist, functionalist doctor, blog author@wow.so.young Katya Young and intensive care cardiologist Boris Bosholov explain why you don’t need to look for cancer. But they have already told us what a healthy person really should check so as not to miss health problems. .

TUMOR MARKERS: DO NOT RENTAL
Young:This is a rather non-specific indicator. Inflammation, menstruation, the presence of a benign formation - all this can affect the result of the analysis. Obviously, such a result will kill the nerve cells of the subject.

The reason to get tested for tumor markers is:

• unfavorable heredity in terms of tumors - a close relative has cancer.
• the need to clarify the diagnosis, i.e. there is already a suspicion of a tumor and the study is carried out along with other
• The tumor has already been diagnosed, treatment has been carried out, we need to make sure that there is no relapse.

BOSHOLOV:Oncological diseases have their own diagnostic algorithms: they take into account age, the presence or absence of risk factors and other parameters. Analysis for tumor markers is of auxiliary value. As a rule, tumor markers have low sensitivity in the early stages of cancer and are often false-positive. That is why there is no point in prescribing them.

LUBNIN:Just for information, you don’t need to take a test for tumor markers - this is an international recommendation. The doctor may prescribe these tests as an additional study, but in no case as the first one.

Are there ways to detect cancer at an early stage?
Young:There is a concept of a syndrome of minor signs - unmotivated weakness, low-grade fever, weight loss, anemia of unknown origin - all this is a reason to suspect a tumor. Here, analysis for tumor markers can be a way of early diagnosis. But, of course, again - along with other instrumental and laboratory studies.

BOSHOLOV:There are ways to detect cancer at an early stage, when there are no symptoms yet. But to detect one case of cancer, 250-1000 asymptomatic patients must be screened. Economically, this is usually unacceptable. Therefore, it is worth undergoing special examinations either if there is a hereditary factor, or at a certain age.

“AGE” AND “HERITABLE” TESTS FOR CANCER DISEASES: PASS
BOSHOLOV:At age 50, you should have a colonoscopy to check for colorectal cancer.

Or, if, for example, a woman has a family history of breast cancer, and she herself has, for example, a BRCA mutation in her tissues, her daughter needs early screening.

ANALYSIS OF GENETIC PRESPOSITION TO DISEASES: NOT FOR EVERYONE
Young:In case of unfavorable heredity, this can be considered as an examination option.

But note: the presence of polymorphism in a gene does not mean that there will be cancer. However, the absence of polymorphism does not guarantee that cancer will not occur. Therefore, in today’s realities, it is definitely not worth considering this analysis as a screening test and mandatory for everyone, given the high cost and the lack of doctors who can interpret all this in the right way. But the future, of course, belongs to predictive medicine.

BOSHOLOV:For many diseases, there are specific genetic tests (genotyping, cytogenetic research, single gene test, etc.). Their necessity is based on your medical history and your family's medical history. Whether you need such a test or not is determined by a genetic counselor (board certified genetic counselor).

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, it is not only the unprofessionalism of doctors or their reluctance to work that is to blame here, 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 who had x-rays and injections 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 analysis

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 take the sample 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.

Blood chemistry

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.

Analysis of urine

General urine analysis 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 asleep, 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 if 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.

Answers Olga Alexandrova, therapist of the highest category:

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 occur not 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

Must pass: general and biochemical blood test.

How often: 2 times per year.

Important indicators:

The most important- cholesterol level 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.

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

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

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

Thrombosis

Must pass: 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 is 27-49 seconds.

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

Fibrinogen- 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

Must pass: blood sugar test from a finger prick (taken strictly on an empty stomach).

How often: 2 times per year.

Important indicator:

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

Must pass: 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

Must pass: fecal occult blood test.

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

Cervical cancer

Must pass: A cytological smear from the cervix that is taken during a gynecological examination. Shows precancerous changes in the mucous membrane of the cervix - CIN (cervical intraepithelial neoplasia).

Leukemia (blood cancer)

Must pass: general blood analysis.

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

Need to 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

Must pass: blood test for thyroid hormones.

How often: 1 time per year or after severe stress.

Important indicator: TSH hormone (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

Must pass: blood test from a vein to check for antibodies.

How often: 1 time per 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, etc. Diseases of the kidneys and urinary tract

Must pass: General urine test.

How often: 2 times per year.

An important indicator is protein concentration. It should be below 0.140 g/l.

Answer to the question " why get tested " is quite obvious and easy to explain. Usually a person goes to see a doctor when he feels unwell and the first signs of a disease. 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 a normal state of 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 analysis 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 .