Single tests: thyroid, iron, vitamin D and other building blocks
Sometimes you do not need a panel. You need one marker, checked properly, with a range you can actually read and a doctor available if the number surprises you.
Thyroid panel
The great impersonator of women's health, checked properly.
Iron studies and full blood count
Iron stores and anaemia in one test.
Vitamin D
One marker, often low in Australian women despite the sun.
Pharmacogenomic profile
How your genes affect the medicines you take. Your genotype does not change, though the guidance on what it means is updated over time.
About this stage
This stage covers the tests that stand on their own. A thyroid panel measures TSH, free T4 and free T3 plus thyroid antibodies. Iron studies cover ferritin, serum iron, transferrin and saturation with a full blood count. Vitamin D is a single marker. An ovulation check is one well-timed progesterone. And a pharmacogenomic profile looks at how your genes affect the way you process certain medicines, once, for life.
The questions here are usually about access and cost rather than biology. Can I order a blood test without a referral in Australia. What does it cost if Medicare is not paying. My GP checked TSH but nothing else, can I get the rest. My ferritin was 32 and I was told it was normal, was it. Can I add a doctor consult to a single test if the result is confusing. How long do results take.
Testing fits as a targeted check or a follow-up. Single tests are useful when you already know what you are looking for: re-checking iron a few months after a low result, confirming vitamin D before winter, adding the free T4, free T3 and antibodies your last request did not include, or timing a progesterone to confirm ovulation happened. They are also the sensible starting point when a panel would be more than the question needs.
Add-ons work the same way. If your own doctor has already ordered part of what you want, a single test fills the gap rather than duplicating the whole request, and your results sit in one account so this year's ferritin can be compared with last year's instead of living in a filing cabinet.
Honestly, a single marker is easier to misread than a panel, because context is what makes a number mean something. Ferritin rises with infection and inflammation, so it is best not collected while you are unwell. TSH is read against free T4 rather than alone. Single tests are test-only priced, a KnowLuna doctor requests them at no extra charge, and a 20-minute consult can be added (+$59) if you want the result talked through. Self-pay, not Medicare-rebated.
Thyroid blood tests explained
TSH, free T4, free T3 and antibodies, and how they are read together.
Ferritin and iron studies explained
Normal ranges, what low iron means, and what happens next.
Vitamin D deficiency in women
Symptoms, the blood test, and the Australian ranges used to read it.
B12, folate and CRP explained
The extra markers your fatigue and preconception checks include.
Pharmacogenomic testing in Australia
What it is, who it helps, and what it costs here.
Blood tests without a GP referral
How consumer-initiated pathology works in Australia, and what it costs.
Choose your test
Pick the marker you want checked. Each test page lists what is measured, the preparation, the typical range and the price before you order.
A doctor requests it
Single tests are test-only priced and a KnowLuna doctor requests them at no extra charge. You can also upload a request your own GP has signed.
Collect and understand
Give your sample at an accredited collection centre near you, or choose a home kit or a nurse visit where the test allows it. Plain-English results land in your account, and you can add a doctor consult if you want one.
Common questions
Can I order a single blood test without a GP referral?
Yes. In Australia pathology has to be requested by a registered practitioner, and with KnowLuna that is either your own doctor, if they have signed a request, or a KnowLuna doctor who reviews your details and requests it. For single tests a KnowLuna doctor requests it at no extra charge, so the price you see is the test.
Can I add a doctor consult to a single test?
Yes. A 20-minute video consult with a KnowLuna women's health doctor can be added to any single test (+$59). Most people do not need it for a routine check, and add it when a result is unexpected or sits at the edge of a range. Anything clearly abnormal is followed up by a doctor regardless.
Do single tests need fasting or particular timing?
Mostly no. Vitamin D and thyroid can be collected any time, although a morning thyroid collection is preferred. Iron studies are best avoided while you are unwell, because ferritin rises with infection. A progesterone ovulation check has to be about seven days after ovulation, and we help you time that one.
How long do results take?
Most routine markers such as thyroid, iron and vitamin D are typically ready within a few business days of collection. Genomic tests take longer, usually a few weeks, because of the processing involved. You get an email and an SMS as soon as your report is in your account.
Sources and further reading
- Pathology Tests Explained (RCPA): thyroid function tests
- Pathology Tests Explained (RCPA): ferritin
- Medical Journal of Australia: Vitamin D and health in adults in Australia and New Zealand, position statement (2012)
- Healthdirect: blood testing
- Pathology Tests Explained (RCPA): test index
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.
beats three years of wondering.