Four questions. One clear starting point.
Tell us a little about where you are and we'll point you to the panel Australian doctors would look at first. Takes under a minute. Nothing here is stored until you choose to join the waitlist.
How old are you?
What's the main thing you want to understand?
How would you describe your periods right now?
Do you already have a doctor's request for blood tests?
This is a guide to help you choose, not medical advice. An AHPRA-registered doctor reviews every order and may suggest a different test.
The quiz points to one of six starting points. They are all set out below, so you can skip the questions and go straight to whichever one describes you. Whatever you choose, an AHPRA-registered doctor reviews your order before anything is requested and may suggest a different test.
If your question is fertility
The AMH and fertility panel. Ovarian reserve indicated by AMH, plus FSH, LH, oestradiol, TSH and prolactin: the hormones doctors look at first when the question is fertility. Best collected on day two to five of your cycle, although AMH can be done any day. It will not measure egg quality or predict conception. Pair it with a partner semen analysis, and read what AMH can actually tell you. More at the fertility hub.
If your question is your cycle
The female hormone panel. FSH, LH, oestradiol, progesterone, testosterone, SHBG, prolactin, DHEA-S and cortisol, read together to make sense of periods that are irregular, infrequent or newly changed, and of low energy or mood shifts alongside them. Heavy periods are a different question: they start with iron studies and a full blood count and a GP assessment, usually with an ultrasound, rather than a hormone panel. Periods painful enough to disrupt your life also need a GP assessment rather than a blood test. If thyroid should be checked at the same time, the hormone and thyroid panel adds a full thyroid group. Read which tests are checked for irregular periods, or see the cycles and hormones hub.
If acne, hair changes or weight sit alongside irregular cycles
The PCOS panel. Androgens with SHBG and the free androgen index, cycle hormones, prolactin and TSH to check other causes, and the metabolic group of fasting glucose, HbA1c and lipids, where HbA1c and fasting glucose are the glycaemic readings the guideline recommends (an oral glucose tolerance test through your doctor is the more accurate glucose check). It is a fasting, morning collection. A panel supports a doctor's assessment rather than replacing it, because PCOS is diagnosed on a set of criteria that combine symptoms, blood results and sometimes ultrasound, after other causes are excluded. Read how PCOS is diagnosed in Australia, or see the PCOS hub. If the skin or hair is the main issue and cycles are fine, the hormonal acne check and the female hair loss check are narrower.
If you are pregnant
NIPT, from ten weeks. Screening for the common chromosome conditions from a simple blood test, explained by a doctor, with genetic counselling arranged where a result calls for it. It is screening rather than diagnosis, and a high-chance result is confirmed with diagnostic testing. Earlier than ten weeks, the pregnancy blood test confirms and tracks hCG. If you have pain or bleeding, or hCG is not rising as expected, that needs a doctor and usually an ultrasound the same day; do not wait on a repeat test. Read what NIPT costs in Australia, or see the pregnancy hub.
If you are planning a pregnancy
The preconception check. Immunity status, blood group and antibodies, iron studies and a full blood count, folate, vitamin B12 and vitamin D, plus TSH and HbA1c, which doctors add for many women: the checks doctors look at before you start trying, ideally about three months out. Pair it with reproductive carrier screening, which is recommended for every couple regardless of family history. Read the preconception checklist.
If sleep, mood, heat or brain fog are changing
The perimenopause and menopause panel. FSH, LH, oestradiol and testosterone alongside TSH, iron studies and a full blood count, so the things that mimic the transition are checked too. In women over 45 with typical symptoms the diagnosis is clinical, and testing earns its place mostly by ruling other causes in or out. Try the perimenopause symptom quiz first if you want a symptom-by-symptom view, read the symptoms checklist, or see the perimenopause hub. Under 40, symptoms like these are more often thyroid, iron or something else, and this panel checks all three.
If you just want a baseline
Under 40 with no fertility question, the female hormone panel (with thyroid and iron if you are tired) is the usual baseline. AMH is worth adding only if you are planning your fertility timeline, and even then it does not predict conception. Over 40, the perimenopause and menopause panel covers more of what is actually changing. If exhaustion is the main thing, start with the fatigue and energy check, and if weight and cravings are, the weight and metabolic check. Postmenopause, the postmenopause health check covers the blood markers for heart and metabolic health and screens for treatable causes of bone loss. Bone density itself is measured by a DXA scan, which your doctor arranges. Single markers such as thyroid, iron studies and vitamin D can be ordered on their own.
What if I have symptoms in more than one area?
Start with the one that bothers you most, because the panels overlap a great deal. Thyroid, iron and the cycle hormones appear in several of them, so you are rarely paying twice for the same marker. Say so in your questionnaire and the doctor reviewing it can suggest a broader panel or a sensible order to do things in.
Can the doctor change the test I chose?
Yes, and that is the point of the review. A KnowLuna doctor reads your questionnaire before any request is issued. If a different panel fits better, they suggest it. If testing is not appropriate for you at all, they say so and you are refunded in full rather than being sold something that cannot answer your question.
Is the quiz a diagnosis?
No. It is a way of narrowing twenty-six tests down to a sensible starting point based on your age, your main question and your cycle. It does not assess you, it does not know your history, and it is not medical advice. Every result is reviewed by a registered doctor before anything is requested.
What if none of the outcomes sound like me?
Order the panel that comes closest and describe your situation in the questionnaire, or start with a single marker such as thyroid or iron studies if you already know what you want checked. If your symptoms are severe or sudden, see a doctor promptly rather than waiting on a test result.
Sources and further reading
- Pathology Tests Explained (RCPA): test index
- Australasian Menopause Society: Diagnosing menopause (information sheet)
- Monash University: International Evidence-based Guideline for the Assessment and Management of PCOS 2023
General information only, not medical advice. A blood test is one input to a doctor's assessment, not a diagnosis on its own. If your symptoms are severe or sudden, see a doctor promptly. Read our medical disclaimer.