Hormone levels can be tested as part of blood or urine tests.

• Pituitary:
  • ACTH (adrenocorticotropic hormone)
  • Dexamethasone suppression test, tests to see whether ACTH secretion by the pituitary can be suppressed
  • FSH blood test (see page)
  • Growth hormone test
  • LH response to GnRH blood test, to test if the pituitary gland responds correctly to GnRH
  • Prolactin blood test
  • TSH test (thyroid stimulating hormone), produced by the pituitary gland, telling the thyroid gland to make and release thyroid hormones into blood
• Pineal:
• Parathyroid:
  • Parthyroid hormone blood test (PTH)
  • PTH-related protein (parathyroid hormone-related protein), measures parathyroid hormone-related protein in blood
• Thyroid:
  • Calcitonin blood test
  • T3RU, which measures the level of proteins that carry thyroid hormone in the blood
  • T3 (triiodothyronine), a thyroid hormone, important in the body's control of metabolism
  • T4 (thyroxine), the main hormone produced by the thyroid gland
• Thymus:
• Adrenal:
  • Cortisol blood or urine test
  • DHEA-S, which is the most abundant circulating steroid in humans, produced by the adrenal glands, and is a metabolic intermediate in the synthesis of sex hormones. It is suggestive of adrenal dysfunction
  • 17-OH progesterone, also produced by the sex glands
  • 17-OHCS (17-hydroxycorticosteroid), a breakdown product of steroid hormone
  • 17-ketosteroids, a breakdown product of androgens and other hormones released by the adrenal glands
  • 24-hour urinary aldosterone excretion test, measuring the amount of aldosterone removed in the urine in a day
  • ACTH (cosyntropin) stimulation test, which tests how well the adrenal gland responds to ACTH
  • Aldosterone blood test
  • Catecholamine blood or urine test, which are made by nerve tissues, including the brain, and the adrenal gland
  • DHEA-sulfate test (see page)
• Pancreatic:
  • Secretin, measures the ability of the pancreas to respond to a hormone called secretin. The small intestine produces secretin when partially digested food from the stomach moves into the area
• Reproductive:
  • Estriol, including:
    • Total estriol, in maternal blood [or urine] can be used as a marker of fetal distress, as DHEA-S produced by the adrenal cortex of the fetus is converted to estriol by the placenta. However, it is non-specific as many pathological conditions can cause deviations in estriol
    • Unconjugated estriol (aka uE3, free estriol), if abnormally low in a pregnant woman, may indicate chromosomal/congenital anomalies (e.g. Down syndrome, Edward's syndrome)
  • Free testosterone, is testosterone that is not bound. It is considered the best measure
    • Free androgen index (FAI), is the ratio of total testosterone divided by SHBG (sex hormone-binding globulin), that is high. It is intended to be a guide to the free testosterone level. However, it is not as good as free testosterone, because it is correlated with degree of obesity
  • FSH (see page)
  • LH (luteinizing hormone) (see page)
  • LH/FSH ratio, which is increased is hyperinsulinemia, commonly seen in Pt's with PCOS. Thus, even though FSH and LH supposedly move in the same direction, hyperinsulinemia increases hypothalamic GnRH pulse frequency, and fast GnRH pulses favor LH secretion, causing LH to dominate over FSH
  • Sex hormone-binding globulin (SHGB), a protein which binds to 2 sex hormones, androgen and estrogen. It is decreased by androgens and anabolic steroids, and thus PCOS, hypothyroidism, obesity, Cushing's syndrome, and acromegaly. It is increased with estrogenic states (OCP), pregnancy, hyperthyroidism, cirrhosis, anorexia nervosa [and other long term calorie restriction], and certain drugs
  • Anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH), a hormone that is critical to sex differentiation during fetal development. It is expressed by cells in the ovary during reproductive years, and thus measures ovarian function. It can thus assess PCOS, and determine a woman's remaining egg supply
  • hCG (human chorionic gonadotropin) blood test, checking if there is hCG which is produced in the body during pregnancy. It can be tested in blood or urine, and can be a quantitative or qualitative test
• Other:
  • 5-HIAA, a urine test, for this breakdown production of serotonin
  • Serotonin blood test
  • 25-hydroxy vitamin D test, which in the kidney changes into an active form of vitamin D, helping to control clacium and phosphate levels in the body
  • ADH blood test (antidiuretic hormone)
  • Renin blood test

• Menstruation