For pregnant women to assess the risk of your baby having a chromosome disorder such as Down syndrome trisomy 21 or Edwards syndrome trisomy 18 Specimen:A blood sample drawn from a vein in your arm or a blood spot collected on special paper from a finger stick a nuchal translucency requires a special ultrasound exam When To Get Tested: Usually between 11 and 14 weeks of pregnancy Test Preparation:You may be instructed to have a full bladder when having the nuchal translucency ultrasound performed Normal Test Result: Males older than age 18: 1.0-18.0 International Units Per Liter (IU/L) Postmenopausal women: 16.7 IU/L -113.6 IU/L

To evaluate fertility issues function of reproductive organs ovaries or testicles or to detect the release of an egg from the ovary ovulation to evaluate pituitary function In children to evaluate early or delayed sexual maturation puberty Specimen:A blood sample drawn from a vein in your arm sometimes a random urine sample or a 24-hour urine collection may be taken When To Get Tested: For women when you are having difficulty getting pregnant or are having irregular or heavy menstrual periods when you are tracking ovulation during your menstrual cycle For men when your partner cannot get pregnant or you have a low sperm count low muscle mass or decreased sex drive When your healthcare provider thinks that you have symptoms of a pituitary disorder or hypothalamic disorder When a health practitioner suspects that a child has delayed or earlier than expected sexual maturation Test Preparation:None but the timing of a woman s sample will be correlated with her menstrual cycle Normal Test Result: Men: 1.42 IU/L to 15.4 IU/L. Women, follicular phase of menstrual cycle: 1.37 to 9 IU/L. Women, midcycle peak: 6.17 to 17.2 IU/L.

To help investigate unexplained flow of breast milk galactorrhea abnormal nipple discharge absence of menstrual periods and or infertility in women in men to help diagnose the cause of decreased libido and or erectile dysfunction to detect and monitor a prolactin-producing pituitary tumor prolactinoma Specimen:A blood sample drawn from a vein in your arm When To Get Tested: When you have symptoms of elevated prolactin such as galactorrhea and or visual disturbances and headaches during a workup for infertility for follow-up of low testosterone in men periodically to monitor for recurrence of a prolactinoma Test Preparation:None however the sample should be collected 3 to 4 hours after waking Normal Test Result: The normal values for prolactin are: Men: less than 20 ng/mL (425 µg/L) Nonpregnant women: less than 25 ng/mL (25 µg/L) Pregnant women: 80 ng/mL to 400 ng/mL (80 to 400 µg/L)

As part of infertility testing if your partner is having trouble becoming pregnant or after a vasectomy to determine if the operation was successful Specimen:A semen sample collected in a sterile wide-mouth container provided by the lab often collected on-site but sometimes it may be collected at home using a special condom obtained from a healthcare practitioner For infertility testing the sample must be analyzed within one hour of collection Two separate collections on two separate days may be required When To Get Tested: When you think you might have a fertility problem or about three months after you have had a vasectomy Test Preparation:For infertility testing refrain from having sex or masturbation for 2-5 days before sample collection carefully follow instructions provided Normal Test Result: median semen volume is 3.7 milliliters (ml)

To detect an abnormal testosterone level in males and females in males to help diagnose the cause of erectile dysfunction or the inability of your partner to get pregnant infertility in females to help diagnose the cause of masculine physical features virilization infertility or polycystic ovary syndrome PCOS in children to help determine the cause of genitals that are not clearly male or female ambiguous genitalia or delayed or early puberty Specimen:A blood sample drawn from a vein in your arm a morning sample is preferred When To Get Tested: For males when you may be infertile or are unable to get or maintain an erection when you are a boy with either early or delayed sexual maturity puberty For females when you have male traits such as a low voice or excessive body hair hirsutism when you have abnormal uterine bleeding do not menstruate amenorrhea or are infertile Test Preparation:None Normal Test Result: normal range is typically 300 ng/dL to 1,000 ng/dL, according to the Food and Drug Administration

To screen for and help diagnose thyroid disorders to monitor treatment of hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism Specimen:A blood sample drawn from a vein in your arm or from pricking the heel of an infant When To Get Tested: For screening Newborn screening is widely recommended however there is no consensus within the medical community as to the age adult screening should begin or whether screening should be done For monitoring treatment as directed by your healthcare provider Otherwise when a person has symptoms of hyperthyroidism or hypothyroidism and or an enlarged thyroid Test Preparation:None needed however certain medications can interfere with the TSH test so tell your health practitioner about any drugs that you are taking If you take thyroid hormone as treatment for thyroid disease it is recommended that your blood sample be drawn before you take your dose for that day Normal Test Result: from 0.4 mIU/L to 4.0 mIU/L for those with no symptoms of an under- or over-active thyroid