Female Hormone Blood Tests: A UK Guide
Female hormones run far more than your reproductive system. Oestradiol, progesterone, FSH, LH and prolactin shape your energy, mood, sleep, skin and bone health, and when one of them drifts out of balance the symptoms can be vague enough to blame on almost anything: a bad month, a busy period at work, “just stress.”
We already have guides on menopause and perimenopause testing and AMH and ovarian reserve. This one covers the wider picture: the hormone panel women take when periods go irregular, cycles feel off, or you want to confirm what your body is actually doing mid-cycle.
What a female hormone blood test measures
Most female hormone panels check some combination of five markers:
FSH (follicle stimulating hormone) tells your ovaries to mature an egg each month. Persistent high levels suggest the ovaries are working harder to respond, which happens in the run-up to menopause or in premature ovarian insufficiency. Low levels point towards the pituitary as the issue.
LH (luteinising hormone) triggers the release of an egg at ovulation. An LH level that sits consistently higher than FSH, rather than spiking briefly mid-cycle, is one of the patterns doctors look for in PCOS.
Oestradiol is the main oestrogen of your reproductive years. It thickens the womb lining each cycle and affects bone density, mood and skin. Levels rise and fall through the cycle, so a single reading only means something alongside the day it was taken.
Progesterone is produced after ovulation. It holds the womb lining in place through the second half of the cycle. A single day-21 reading is the standard way to check whether ovulation actually happened.
Prolactin is the milk-production hormone. Raised levels can disrupt or stop periods entirely, and can be caused by an underactive thyroid, certain medications or (less commonly) a benign pituitary growth.
Some panels add testosterone and SHBG, since raised testosterone is part of the PCOS picture.
Typical reference ranges
Hormone ranges shift with cycle phase, which makes these numbers looser than most blood test ranges. Rough UK figures for the follicular phase (days 2 to 5):
| Marker | Typical follicular range |
|---|---|
| FSH | 2 – 10 IU/L |
| LH | 2 – 9 IU/L |
| Oestradiol | 70 – 500 pmol/L |
| Prolactin | 100 – 500 mIU/L |
Day-21 progesterone is read differently: above roughly 30 nmol/L suggests ovulation occurred that cycle.
Note: Every lab sets its own ranges, and yours will be printed alongside your result. Interpretation depends heavily on cycle day, so keep that with your results. A high FSH on day 3 means something different to the same number on day 14.
When to test matters more than any other factor
This is where female hormone testing differs from most blood tests. A thyroid test gives the same answer on Monday as on Friday; hormone results change through the month.
- FSH, LH and oestradiol: test on days 2 to 5 of your cycle (day 1 is the first day of proper bleeding). This is the baseline window.
- Progesterone: test 7 days before your expected period. On a 28-day cycle that is day 21, which is where the name comes from. On a 35-day cycle it would be day 28, so adjust rather than following the name blindly.
- Prolactin: any day, but test in the morning and avoid a heavy meal or intense exercise beforehand, both of which can push it up temporarily.
If your cycles are very irregular, testing FSH and oestradiol on a random day still gives some information, but mention the date of your last period when you get the results.
Who should consider a test
A female hormone panel makes sense if:
- Your periods have become irregular, heavy, or stopped without an obvious reason
- You suspect PCOS (irregular cycles, acne, unwanted hair growth) and want data before a GP conversation
- You are trying to conceive and want to confirm ovulation is happening
- Severe PMS or cycle-linked mood changes make you want to see the actual pattern
- You have milky nipple discharge, which can point to raised prolactin
One honest caveat: a hormone panel is not a pregnancy test. If there is any chance you are pregnant, test for that first, since pregnancy changes every hormone on this list.
NHS vs private testing
The NHS tests hormones properly when symptoms justify it: irregular periods, suspected PCOS, fertility investigations. The frustrations are the ones you would expect. You may wait weeks for an appointment, be told to come back next cycle before any test happens, and get individual markers rather than a panel in one go.
Private testing gives you control of timing, which matters so much with these hormones. You pick the panel, take it on exactly the right cycle day, and have results in a couple of days without needing a referral. Home kits use a finger-prick sample you post back; some providers offer a venous draw if you prefer.
What female hormone tests cost in the UK
Prices from our live comparison database:
| Provider | Test | Price | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medichecks | Day 21 Ovulation Progesterone | £39 | View test£39 |
| Forth | Oestradiol Blood Test | £40 | View test£40 |
| Forth | Progesterone Blood Test | £44 | View test£44 |
| Medichecks | Prolactin Blood Test | £45 | View test£45 |
| Medichecks | Oestradiol Blood Test | £49 | View test£49 |
| Medichecks | FSH Blood Test | £52 | View test£52 |
| YorkTest | Female Hormones Test | £55 | View test£55 |
| Medichecks | Oestradiol, Progesterone & Prolactin | £69 | View test£69 |
| Vitall | Female Hormones (Menopause) Blood Test | £69 | View test£69 |
| Goodbody Clinic | Female Hormone and Fertility Blood Test | £79 | View test£79 |
| Numan | Female Hormone Blood Test | £83.30 | View test£83.30 |
| Forth | Female Hormone Imbalance Test | £89 | View test£89 |
| Medichecks | Female Hormone Check Advanced | £99 | View test£99 |
| Thriva | Women’s Hormones Blood Test | £99 | View test£99 |
| Forth | MyFORM Female Hormone Mapping | £139 | View test£139 |
A few patterns worth knowing. Single markers start under £50, so if you only need to confirm ovulation, Medichecks’ £39 day-21 progesterone test does that job. Bundled panels around £79 to £99 cover the five main markers in one draw, which works out cheaper than buying three or four singles. Forth’s MyFORM mapping is the priciest, but it takes multiple samples across your cycle to map the whole pattern rather than snapshotting one day, which is a genuinely different product.
To compare current prices side by side, look at female hormone, progesterone or oestradiol tests on our compare page.
What if your results are abnormal?
First, one odd result is rarely a verdict. Hormones swing, and a single reading out of range usually gets repeated before anyone acts on it. That said, here is what common findings tend to mean:
- High day-21 progesterone: good news in this context; it suggests ovulation happened.
- Low day-21 progesterone: ovulation may not have occurred that cycle. Retest next cycle on the right day before drawing conclusions.
- LH consistently higher than FSH with irregular cycles: fits the PCOS pattern. Worth taking to your GP, especially with symptoms like acne or irregular periods.
- Persistently raised prolactin: needs follow-up, usually a thyroid check first, since an underactive thyroid is a common cause. Medications, including some antidepressants, raise it too.
- High FSH on days 2 to 5, repeatedly: the ovaries are responding less, which points towards perimenopause or premature ovarian insufficiency if you are under 40. Our menopause testing guide covers that transition in detail.
Between tests, the things that genuinely help hormone regularity are unglamorous: steady sleep, manageable stress, not losing or gaining weight quickly, and balanced meals. Extreme exercise and rapid weight loss are two of the most common reasons periods stop, and no supplement fixes that.
If results come back abnormal, take them to your GP with the cycle-day dates attached. Private results do not replace medical care; they make the conversation shorter and better informed. And do not start hormone treatment, including over-the-counter progesterone creams, without a clinician involved, since treating the wrong hormone makes the picture harder to unpick.
When Not to Test
Hormone results only mean something against the day of your cycle, so an untimed test can be worse than none at all. Do not test while on the combined pill, or during pregnancy, without asking the provider how that affects the markers. A hormone panel cannot confirm menopause on its own and it cannot tell you whether you can conceive. If you have very heavy bleeding, missed periods for several months, or severe pelvic pain, see a GP rather than ordering a kit.
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