Every marker, in one sentence.

AHPRA

The Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency. Every KnowLuna doctor holds current registration with the Medical Board of Australia through AHPRA, and you can look any doctor up on the public register.

Amenorrhoea

Amenorrhoea is the medical word for periods that have stopped or never started. Primary amenorrhoea means periods have not begun by the expected age; secondary means they have stopped for three months or more in someone whose cycles were regular, or six months if cycles were already irregular, once pregnancy is excluded. It is a sign to investigate, not a diagnosis in itself. Read more.

AMH anti-Mullerian hormone

Made by small follicles in the ovaries. Used as an indicator of ovarian reserve. Stable across the cycle, so it can be tested any day. Combined hormonal contraception can lower it by around a fifth to a third, so the doctor reads it with that in mind. Does not measure egg quality or predict conception. Read more.

BRCA1 and BRCA2 hereditary cancer genes

Two genes that normally repair DNA. An inherited change in either raises the lifetime risk of breast and ovarian cancer substantially (and, less so, prostate and pancreatic cancer). About one in 400 people carries a change; higher in Ashkenazi Jewish families. Testing is Medicare-rebated through a familial cancer clinic where family history criteria are met, and self-pay otherwise. A positive result changes screening and prevention options and is always explained by a genetic counsellor.

Bacterial vaginosis BV

Bacterial vaginosis is a shift in the balance of organisms in the vagina, where the usual lactobacillus species give way to other bacteria. It commonly causes discharge and odour, and it has a habit of returning. It is not classified as a sexually transmitted infection, but sexual activity contributes to it, and treating a regular male partner reduces recurrence (Australian trial, 2025), which your doctor discusses with you. A vaginal microbiome test shows which organisms are present. Read more.

Calcium

Calcium is the mineral measured in blood as part of the bone chemistry group, read together with phosphate, vitamin D and parathyroid hormone. A blood level says how tightly the body is regulating calcium; it does not tell you how much is in your bones, which is what a bone density scan measures. Ranges vary by laboratory.

Carrier screening

A genetic test for whether you carry a gene change for conditions such as cystic fibrosis, spinal muscular atrophy or fragile X. Carriers are usually healthy. For cystic fibrosis and spinal muscular atrophy, if both partners carry a change in the same gene, each child has a one-in-four chance of being affected. Fragile X works differently: it is carried on the X chromosome, so the result depends on the mother alone and a male partner is not screened for it. Recommended for every couple planning a pregnancy.

Coeliac disease

Coeliac disease is an immune reaction to gluten that damages the lining of the small bowel and can cause fatigue, low iron, low B12 and gut symptoms. Screening blood tests look for specific antibodies, and they are only reliable while you are still eating gluten. A positive screen is confirmed by a specialist. Read more.

Cortisol

The main stress hormone, made by the adrenal glands. Highest in the morning, so timing matters. Persistently abnormal levels can affect cycles, weight and energy.

CRP C-reactive protein

CRP is a general marker of inflammation anywhere in the body. It rises with infection, injury and inflammatory conditions and settles again as things resolve. It is non-specific, so it flags that something is going on rather than what. It is also why ferritin is best not collected while you are unwell. Read more.

Cystic fibrosis CFTR

Cystic fibrosis is a serious inherited condition affecting the lungs and digestion, caused by changes in the CFTR gene. It is one of the three conditions in standard reproductive carrier screening. Carriers are healthy; if both partners carry a change in the same gene, each pregnancy has a one in four chance of being affected. Read more.

DHEA-S

An adrenal androgen. Raised levels point towards the adrenal glands rather than the ovaries as a source of androgen excess, which matters in PCOS assessment.

FAI free androgen index

Total testosterone divided by SHBG, expressed as a percentage. A better guide to how much testosterone is active than testosterone alone. Used in assessing PCOS.

Fasting insulin

Insulin measured after 8 to 12 hours without food. A raised level can support a picture of insulin resistance, which travels with PCOS whatever your weight and raises long-term diabetes risk. The assay is poorly standardised, and the 2023 International PCOS Guideline recommends against fasting insulin or HOMA-IR for assessing an individual, so glucose measures do that job. It is a research and specialist marker and is not included in the KnowLuna panels, which use fasting glucose and HbA1c.

Ferritin and iron studies

Ferritin is your iron store. Low ferritin is very common with heavy periods and causes fatigue, brain fog and hair loss that are easily blamed on hormones. Iron studies add serum iron, transferrin and saturation for a fuller picture.

Folate

Folate is a B vitamin needed for making new cells, and it is the one that matters most in the months before and early in pregnancy. Low levels cause a particular kind of anaemia and are checked alongside vitamin B12, because the two are read together. Read more.

Fragile X FMR1

Fragile X is an inherited condition caused by an expansion in the FMR1 gene on the X chromosome, and it is the most common inherited cause of intellectual disability. It is one of the three conditions in standard reproductive carrier screening. Because it is X-linked, a woman who carries an expanded gene has a chance of passing it to each child whatever her partner carries, so her partner is not screened for it. Being a premutation carrier can also affect her own health: about one in five have premature ovarian insufficiency, and there is a later-life risk of a tremor and balance condition, which genetic counselling covers. Read more.

FSH follicle-stimulating hormone

From the pituitary gland. Tells the ovaries to grow a follicle each cycle. Best measured on day 2 to 5. Rises as ovarian reserve declines and through the menopause transition. Read more.

Full blood count

Red cells, white cells and platelets. Shows whether low iron has become anaemia and picks up infection or other blood problems.

Generation NIPT panel

Generation is the brand name of one of the non-invasive prenatal screening panels available in Australia. Panels differ in which conditions they report, whether sex chromosomes are included and what happens if a first sample does not yield enough placental DNA. All of them are screening tests, not diagnoses. Read more.

Harmony NIPT panel

Harmony is the brand name of one of the non-invasive prenatal screening panels available in Australia. Like the others it screens for the common chromosome conditions from ten weeks of pregnancy and reports a chance rather than a diagnosis. A high-chance result is confirmed with diagnostic testing. Read more.

HbA1c

Glycated haemoglobin: a three-month average of your blood sugar. Used to screen for and monitor pre-diabetes and type 2 diabetes. Included in the PCOS panel because insulin resistance is so common in PCOS.

hCG human chorionic gonadotropin

The pregnancy hormone. A quantitative blood hCG confirms pregnancy earlier than a urine test, and its rise over 48 hours is how doctors assess early pregnancy. A slow rise or a fall can point to a miscarriage or an ectopic pregnancy, which is why pain or bleeding in early pregnancy needs urgent review, and hCG cannot show where a pregnancy is: that needs an ultrasound.

Homocysteine

Homocysteine is an amino acid in the blood that rises when vitamin B12 or folate is low, and sometimes for other reasons. It is occasionally used as a second-line check when a B12 result is borderline. It is not part of routine screening, and it is interpreted alongside B12 and folate rather than alone. Read more.

Insulin resistance

Insulin resistance is when your cells respond less well to insulin, so the pancreas makes more of it to do the same job. It travels with PCOS at any body size and raises long-term diabetes risk. It is inferred clinically from glucose measures (fasting glucose, HbA1c or a glucose tolerance test) and features such as waist size; fasting insulin and HOMA-IR are not recommended for assessing an individual and are not in the KnowLuna panels. Read more.

LH luteinising hormone

From the pituitary. Its mid-cycle surge triggers ovulation. Read alongside FSH; a relatively high LH at baseline is sometimes seen in PCOS.

Lipids

Total cholesterol, LDL, HDL and triglycerides. Fasting is no longer required for routine testing, though your doctor may ask for a fasting sample if triglycerides are high. Part of the long-term heart-health picture, which matters more in PCOS and after menopause.

Luteal phase

The luteal phase is the second half of your cycle, from ovulation until your next period, usually about fourteen days. It is when the corpus luteum makes progesterone, which is why an ovulation check is timed about seven days after ovulation, in the middle of this phase. Read more.

Magnesium

Magnesium is a mineral involved in muscle and nerve function. The blood level is a poor guide to total body stores, because most magnesium sits inside cells and bone, so it is not part of routine screening and is checked only where there is a specific reason. Read more.

Menopause

A point in time: 12 months after your last period. Average age in Australia is around 51. Diagnosed clinically, not by a blood test.

Lynch syndrome hereditary cancer

An inherited condition caused by a change in one of the mismatch repair genes (MLH1, MSH2, MSH6, PMS2 or EPCAM) that raises the risk of bowel and uterine cancer, and to a lesser extent ovarian, stomach and other cancers. Included in comprehensive hereditary cancer panels. A positive result leads to earlier and more frequent colonoscopy and a gynaecological plan.

NATA/RCPA accreditation

The National Association of Testing Authorities and the Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia jointly accredit Australian pathology laboratories. It is the standard behind the pathology your GP orders, and the standard we require for routine pathology. Genomic tests may be performed by an accredited specialist laboratory in Australia or overseas (for example under ISO 15189 or CAP accreditation); we name the laboratory before you order.

NIPT non-invasive prenatal test

A blood test from 10 weeks of pregnancy that screens DNA from the placenta circulating in the mother's blood for Down syndrome and other chromosome conditions. Highly accurate, but a screening test: a high-probability result is confirmed with diagnostic testing.

Oestradiol

Your main oestrogen, made by the growing follicle. Builds the uterine lining and signals back to the brain. Low early in the cycle, peaks before ovulation, erratic in perimenopause, low after menopause.

Ovarian reserve

The number of eggs remaining in the ovaries. Indicated (not counted) by AMH and antral follicle count on ultrasound. Quantity, not quality; quality is mostly about age.

PTH parathyroid hormone

Parathyroid hormone is the hormone from four small glands in the neck that controls calcium in the blood, drawing on bone when levels fall. It is read alongside calcium and vitamin D rather than alone, and it is a standard part of a postmenopause bone chemistry check. Ranges vary by laboratory.

PCOS polycystic ovary syndrome

A common hormonal and metabolic condition diagnosed clinically from two of three features: irregular ovulation, signs of high androgens, and polycystic ovaries on ultrasound (or raised AMH). Read more.

Percept NIPT panel

Percept is the brand name of one of the non-invasive prenatal screening panels available in Australia, developed locally. As with every panel it screens the placental DNA circulating in your blood from ten weeks, and reports a chance for the common chromosome conditions rather than a diagnosis. Read more.

Perimenopause

The transition before menopause, typically starting in the mid-forties and lasting several years, commonly four to six, when ovarian hormones become erratic. Diagnosed from age, symptoms and cycle history. Read more.

Pharmacogenomics

Pharmacogenomics is the study of how your genes affect the way your body processes certain medicines. A profile looks at genes such as CYP2D6 and CYP2C19 and reports whether you process particular medicines faster or slower than average. Your genes do not change, so it is a once in a lifetime test that your prescriber interprets. Read more.

Postpartum thyroiditis

Postpartum thyroiditis is inflammation of the thyroid in the first year after birth. It often runs as an over-active phase followed by an under-active one, and the symptoms of both are easily attributed to having a newborn. It is picked up with TSH, free T4 and thyroid antibodies. Read more.

Progesterone

Made after ovulation by the corpus luteum. Measured about seven days after ovulation (often "day 21") to confirm ovulation happened.

Prolactin

The milk hormone. When raised outside pregnancy and breastfeeding it can suppress ovulation and disturb cycles, so it is checked whenever cycles are irregular.

Self-pay consumer-initiated testing

Pathology you order yourself, requested by a doctor, and pay for directly. Not rebated by Medicare, because Medicare rebates tests a treating doctor orders for a specific clinical indication. Compare the two routes.

SHBG sex hormone binding globulin

The carrier protein for testosterone and oestradiol. When SHBG is low, more testosterone is free and active. Read with testosterone to calculate the free androgen index.

SMA spinal muscular atrophy, SMN1

Spinal muscular atrophy is a serious inherited condition affecting the nerves that control muscle, caused by changes in the SMN1 gene. It is one of the three conditions in standard reproductive carrier screening. Most carriers have no family history, which is why screening is recommended for everyone planning a pregnancy. Read more.

Free T4 and free T3

The thyroid hormones themselves. TSH says how hard the brain is pushing; free T4 and T3 say what the thyroid is producing. Read together.

Testosterone

The main androgen. Women make it too, in smaller amounts. Raised levels are one of the criteria for PCOS; levels decline gradually with age rather than dropping at menopause, and can influence energy, mood and libido.

Transferrin and transferrin saturation

Transferrin is the protein that carries iron around the blood, and transferrin saturation is the percentage of it currently carrying iron. Read with ferritin and serum iron, the pair helps separate genuinely low iron stores from other causes of a low result. Read more.

TSH thyroid-stimulating hormone

The brain's signal to the thyroid. High TSH suggests an under-active thyroid, low suggests over-active. Thyroid problems mimic hormonal symptoms, which is why TSH sits in three of our four panels.

Vaginal microbiome

The vaginal microbiome is the community of organisms that normally live in the vagina, dominated in most women by lactobacillus species. A microbiome test reports which species are present and in what proportion, which is useful when thrush, bacterial vaginosis or discomfort keeps returning. Read more.

Vitamin B12

Vitamin B12 is a vitamin needed for red blood cells and for nerve function. Low levels cause fatigue, breathlessness, pins and needles and low mood, and are more common with a plant-based diet, some digestive conditions and increasing age. Checked alongside folate in fatigue and preconception panels. Read more.

Vitamin D 25-hydroxy vitamin D

Needed for bone and muscle health, with a role in immune function. A link with fertility has been suggested but not proven. Commonly low in Australian women in winter or with limited sun exposure.

X-inactivation

In every cell of a person with two X chromosomes, one X is switched off. It is the reason our logo is one solid X and one hollow X. The science page explains more.

Zinc

Zinc is a mineral involved in skin healing, immune function and hair growth. Low levels are uncommon in Australia but can contribute to hair shedding, so zinc is included in the hair loss check alongside iron, thyroid and androgens. It is interpreted with the rest of the panel. Read more.