How to check your hormone levels: the tests, the steps and what to expect

You check hormone levels with a lab test. Which test depends on which hormone you want to know about, so the first step is deciding that. The rest is ordering, preparing, having the sample taken and reading the result.

• ProgesteroneOne hormone $45 See this test at HealthLabs
• FSH and LHTwo cycle hormones on one order $59 See this test at HealthLabs
• EstradiolOne hormone $99 See this test at HealthLabs
• Total testosteroneOne hormone $49 See this test at HealthLabs
• Basic female hormone panelA general check, with many non-hormone markers $199 See this test at HealthLabs

Sold by HealthLabs. Prices checked October 2026. Not available in ND, RI, NY, NJ, MD and HI. We earn a commission on sales.

Step 1: Decide which hormone to check

There is no test that checks “your hormones” all at once. Hormones are chemical messengers made by glands such as the pituitary, thyroid and adrenals, and each test looks at one of them. MedlinePlus says a provider may order tests if you have symptoms of a hormone disorder.

Some examples of what is checked and why, from MedlinePlus:

• Estradiol for abnormal or missing periods, trouble getting pregnant, or menopause symptoms.
• FSH and LH for irregular or stopped periods or a year of trying to conceive without success.
• Prolactin for irregular periods, milk production when not pregnant or nursing, or nipple discharge.

If you are 45 or older and wondering about perimenopause, the Office on Women’s Health says your provider can usually tell from your age, symptoms and changes in your periods, and that blood hormone tests are not usually needed. See perimenopause tests.

Step 2: Choose a single test or a panel

A single test answers one question and costs the least. The seller’s three female hormone panels are mostly routine health markers with only a few sex hormones, and none of them lists FSH, LH, progesterone, AMH or prolactin. See female hormone panels compared for what each includes. The test finder can narrow it down.

Step 3: Prepare

• Timing. MedlinePlus says FSH and LH tests may need to be timed to a point in your menstrual cycle. Prolactin is usually drawn about three to four hours after you wake up. See when in your cycle to test.
• Fasting. The seller says its three panels require fasting, with water only for at least 8 hours. For single tests, follow the instructions on your lab order. See fasting for hormone tests.
• Medicines. MedlinePlus says to tell your provider about everything you take. Do not stop any medicine unless your provider tells you to.

Step 4: Have the sample taken

For the seller’s tests, the sample is blood taken at a lab. MedlinePlus says a blood draw usually takes less than five minutes. The seller says most results arrive in one to three days, and you see them in an online account. See how walk-in labs work and results timing.

Other ways to check

• Urine. MedlinePlus describes a 24-hour urine collection for estrogen. Home urine kits for FSH can only detect higher-than-normal levels, and MedlinePlus says they should not be used to check whether you can become pregnant. MedlinePlus says home urine LH tests are usually used to track ovulation.
• Saliva. MedlinePlus says an at-home estrogen test collects a saliva sample that you mail to a lab. The North American Menopause Society says salivary and urine hormone testing to determine hormone therapy dosing is unreliable and not recommended.

See at-home vs lab hormone tests for how the options compare.

Step 5: Read the result

Labs often use different methods and ranges, so MedlinePlus says to use the range printed on your report and not compare it with ranges from elsewhere. Healthy people sometimes fall outside the range. For females, hormone levels fluctuate, so you may need more than one test to see a trend.

The Office on Women’s Health says your provider can usually tell whether you are in perimenopause from your age, symptoms and changes in your periods. Take your result to a clinician, particularly if your periods have changed before age 45. The Office on Women’s Health says your provider may order blood tests then, and that testing is most useful before 40.