Why a Hormone Panel Is Worth Reading Properly
Hormones shape far more than your menstrual cycle. They influence energy, mood, sleep, muscle and bone, fertility and long-term health. The problem is that a women's hormone panel is one of the easiest blood tests to misread — because almost every marker on it means something completely different depending on the day of your cycle you were tested. A "low" oestradiol on day 3 is normal; the same number on day 21 is not.
This guide walks through every hormone on a standard Australian women's panel — what it measures, the typical reference range in Australian units, when to test it, and the red flags worth discussing with your GP. Ranges below are broad guides only: every laboratory sets its own reference intervals, so always read your result against the range printed on your own report.
When to Test — Timing Changes the Whole Story
This is the single most important section. Test on the wrong day and a perfectly normal result can look alarming, or a real problem can hide. For a cycle-day reference, count day 1 as the first day of your period.
| What to test | Best timing |
|---|---|
| Baseline panel — FSH, LH, oestradiol, prolactin, TSH, testosterone (total, free, SHBG) | Day 2–5 of your cycle |
| Progesterone (to confirm ovulation) | Around day 21 — roughly 7 days before your expected period |
| Cortisol & DHEA-S | Morning, before 9am, rested |
| AMH & thyroid | Any day of the cycle |
If your cycle is not 28 days, time the progesterone test to about 7 days before your period is actually due, not a fixed calendar day.
Oestradiol (E2) — the Dominant Oestrogen
Oestradiol is the main and most potent oestrogen in cycling women. It supports bone density, mood, skin, tendon health and cardiovascular function — and it swings widely across the cycle, which is exactly why there is no single "normal" value.
| Cycle stage | Typical oestradiol (pmol/L) |
|---|---|
| Follicular (days 1–13) | 110–550 |
| Ovulation (peak) | 550–1650 |
| Luteal (days 15–28) | 180–780 |
| Post-menopause | <110 |
Low body fat and a chronic energy deficit can drive E2 down; high-volume endurance training can blunt it; alcohol, poor sleep and aromatase activity can nudge it up. For a deeper dive, see our full guide to the oestradiol blood test in Australia.
Progesterone — Did You Actually Ovulate?
Progesterone is released after ovulation and supports restorative sleep, GABA activity and recovery. Its single most useful job on a panel is confirming that ovulation occurred — which is why it is timed to the mid-luteal phase.
| Stage | Typical progesterone (nmol/L) |
|---|---|
| Follicular | <3.2 |
| Mid-luteal (days 19–23) | >16 confirms ovulation |
| Post-menopause | <2 |
A mid-luteal progesterone above about 16 nmol/L (drawn ~7 days before your period) confirms that ovulation has happened that cycle. Low progesterone can reduce restorative sleep and recovery, and luteal fluid shifts and scale-weight changes are normal.
Testosterone, Free Testosterone & SHBG — Always Read the Three Together
Testosterone drives libido, strength, mood and lean mass in women too — at roughly 10–20x lower levels than in men, so small shifts within range can still matter. The trap is reading total testosterone alone.
| Marker | Typical female range (nmol/L) | What it tells you |
|---|---|---|
| Total testosterone | 0.4–2.0 | Bound + free combined |
| Free testosterone | 0.005–0.04 | The active, usable pool |
| SHBG | 18–144 | The protein that binds and buffers testosterone |
How to read them together: low SHBG with a low total can still leave adequate free testosterone; high SHBG with a normal total often means low free testosterone; and a high total with low SHBG can be seen in PCOS — pair it with symptoms and the rest of the panel. For the male reference picture, see normal testosterone levels by age.
LH & FSH — the Signals From Your Brain
LH and FSH come from the pituitary and direct the ovaries. Read on day 2–5, their balance gives clues about cycle health and ovarian reserve.
| Marker | Typical level (IU/L) |
|---|---|
| LH (follicular) | 2–10 |
| LH (surge) | 20–100 |
| FSH (follicular) | 3–10 |
| FSH (day 3) | >25 suggests low ovarian reserve |
An LH-to-FSH ratio above 2 can support a PCOS picture, but is not diagnostic on its own. Low LH and FSH together with low oestradiol can point to hypothalamic suppression — the pattern seen with energy deficit, heavy training stress or illness. Our FSH, LH and AMH fertility guide covers this in detail.
AMH — Ovarian Reserve by Age
Anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) reflects the pool of eggs remaining and declines with age. It can be tested on any cycle day. Australian labs usually report it in ng/mL (multiply by ~7.14 for pmol/L).
| Age | Typical AMH (ng/mL) |
|---|---|
| 20–29 | 2.0–6.8 |
| 30–34 | 1.5–5.5 |
| 35–39 | 1.0–4.0 |
| 40–44 | 0.5–2.5 |
| 45+ | <1.0 |
AMH is a trend, not a verdict — it estimates egg quantity, not your chance of conceiving naturally, and a single number is less informative than how it changes over time. Medicare only rebates AMH for specific clinical questions; see AMH test cost in Australia for who pays and who bulk-bills. A high AMH can also form part of a PCOS diagnosis.
Thyroid & Prolactin — Quiet Drivers of Cycle Problems
Thyroid hormones set your metabolic rate, and prolactin rises with stress and can suppress ovulation. Both are easy to overlook and both can be tested on any day.
| Marker | Typical range | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| TSH | 0.4–4.0 mIU/L | Pituitary signal to the thyroid |
| Free T4 (fT4) | 9–19 pmol/L | Storage form |
| Free T3 (fT3) | 3.1–6.8 pmol/L | Active metabolic hormone |
| Prolactin | <530 mIU/L (non-pregnant) | Rises with stress; high levels suppress the cycle |
A low fT3 with a normal TSH can occur with stress, low caloric intake, illness or overtraining. Persistently high prolactin blunts LH and can stop ovulation — thyroid and prolactin problems often travel together with cycle changes.
Stress Axis — DHEA-S & Cortisol
These two trend markers round out the picture. DHEA-S is an androgen precursor that declines with age and chronic stress (typical range ~2–10 µmol/L). Morning cortisol peaks before 9am and should be drawn rested (typical AM range ~140–690 nmol/L). Both are useful trends rather than stand-alone diagnoses.
Red Flags Worth Raising With Your Doctor
- Mid-luteal progesterone <10 nmol/L — may suggest you did not ovulate that cycle.
- FSH >25 IU/L on day 2–3 — may indicate diminished ovarian reserve.
- TSH >4.0 mIU/L with symptoms — fatigue, weight gain or cold intolerance.
- Prolactin >1000 mIU/L — needs medical review.
- No periods for more than 3 months, or very heavy, painful or irregular cycles.
Labs are one piece of the puzzle. Always combine them with your symptoms and clinical context, and discuss anything flagged with your GP or specialist.
How to Read the Whole Picture
Four habits turn a confusing panel into something useful: test at the right time, read the units carefully (Australian panels mix nmol/L, pmol/L, mIU/L and IU/L), look at trends rather than single snapshots, and interpret labs alongside your symptoms and lifestyle. Because hormones fluctuate so much, the most valuable record is one that keeps your cycle day or treatment stage next to each number, so results can be compared like-for-like over months. You can store, decode and chart every marker — across any Australian lab — with BloodTrack.
Does Medicare Cover a Hormone Panel?
Most reproductive and thyroid hormones are bulk-billed when your GP or specialist provides a referral with a clinical reason, so you usually pay nothing out of pocket. AMH is the main exception — Medicare only rebates it for specific indications, otherwise it is an out-of-pocket test. Tests requested without a referral may attract a fee.
This guide is general information for an Australian audience and is not a substitute for personal medical advice. Reference ranges vary between laboratories, assays and cycle timing — always read your result against your own lab's printed range and discuss your results with your GP or specialist.
