28-day Cycle Hormone Mapping Test

Cycle mapping is KnowLuna's most detailed hormone test. Instead of a single snapshot, you collect on eleven scheduled days through one cycle, and the lab measures oestradiol and progesterone at each point. The default is a dried blood spot kit posted to you, with finger-prick cards for each collection day, and you can use an accredited centre instead if you prefer (options below). It costs $379 with your own doctor's request, or $459 with a KnowLuna doctor who requests it and explains the map in a 20-minute video consult.

What it measures

Oestradiol (11 timed collections)Progesterone (11 timed collections)Testosterone (day 11)

Oestradiol, eleven times: the main oestrogen. It should climb through the first half of the cycle, peak just before ovulation, dip, then rise again more gently in the second half.
Progesterone, eleven times: the hormone released after ovulation. It should stay low in the first half, rise clearly after ovulation, plateau for about a week, then fall before your period.
Testosterone, once on day 11: a single mid-follicular androgen reading, taken when the cycle is stable enough to be comparable between women.

Who it's for

Women aged 18 and over with persistent cycle symptoms that a single hormone panel has not explained. Common reasons include cycles that vary in length, spotting or short second halves, symptoms that arrive at the same point every month, or an ovulation check that came back borderline. It suits women who are not using hormonal contraception, because the pill and the ring flatten the very pattern the map is looking for, and a hormonal IUD makes the picture harder to interpret.

What a single-day test misses

Oestradiol and progesterone are not steady numbers. Oestradiol can move several-fold within a week, and progesterone goes from near zero to its peak in about seven days. A day 3 test measures your baseline; a day 21 test measures one moment of the second half. Either can look normal while the shape of the cycle is not.

Mapping shows the shape. It can reveal whether oestradiol peaks and falls as expected, whether progesterone rises at all and how long it stays up, and whether your second half is shorter than the ten to fourteen days that is typical. Those are pattern questions, and a pattern needs more than one point to draw.

What you'll learn, and what you won't

You will get a plotted chart of your oestradiol and progesterone across the cycle, with your day 11 testosterone, and a doctor to walk you through what the curves show: the timing of ovulation, the length and strength of the second half, and how your levels compare with a typical pattern. You can preview the format on the sample report page.

What one mapped cycle cannot tell you is whether every cycle looks like this one. Cycles vary month to month, and a single map is one cycle's story. It also does not measure egg quality, does not replace pelvic imaging, and cannot explain symptoms that are not hormonal. A blood test is one input to a doctor's assessment, not a diagnosis on its own. If anything needs prompt attention, a doctor contacts you directly.

The collection schedule

Day 1 is the first day of full bleeding. The schedule below assumes a cycle of roughly 26 to 32 days; we adjust it for you if yours runs longer or shorter, and the doctor reads the map against your actual cycle length.

Collection	Cycle day	What it captures
1	Day 2 or 3	Baseline oestradiol and progesterone at the start of the cycle
2	Day 6	Early follicular rise
3	Day 9	Follicle growth, oestradiol climbing
4	Day 11	Late follicular phase, plus the single testosterone reading
5	Day 13	Approaching the oestradiol peak
6	Day 15	Around ovulation
7	Day 17	Early rise in progesterone if ovulation has occurred
8	Day 19	Progesterone climbing
9	Day 21	Mid-luteal peak, the classic day 21 reading in context
10	Day 24	Late luteal plateau
11	Day 27	Fall before the next period

Ranges vary by laboratory; your report shows the range your lab uses and plots your values against it.

Practical notes

Each collection: a finger-prick card from your home kit, or a quick blood draw at an accredited centre, ideally the same way each time and at about the same time of morning.
If you miss a day: collect the next day and note it. One shifted point rarely spoils the map; two consecutive missed points in the second half can, so tell us and we will advise.
If your period arrives early: stop the schedule and let us know. The doctor reads what was collected, and a shorter cycle is itself useful information.
Irregular cycles: start on day 2 or 3 of a bleed and follow the schedule; if the cycle runs long, we extend it. Very long or absent cycles are usually better served by the hormone panel first.
Keep a simple diary: note bleeding, spotting and any symptoms by day. It is plotted alongside the hormones.

When to do this test

Start: book your first collection for day 2 or 3 of your next period; the rest of the schedule follows from that date.
Fasting: not required for any collection.
Contraception: not suitable while using hormonal contraception. If you have recently stopped, allow two or three natural cycles first.
Morning collections keep the points comparable, especially for the day 11 testosterone.

How it works

Order online. Either upload the request your own doctor has signed, or a KnowLuna women's health doctor reviews your questionnaire and requests the mapping.
We send you the eleven-day schedule keyed to your cycle, with your dried blood spot kit. Collect at home on each scheduled day, or at an accredited (NATA) centre near you if you prefer (options below).
Once the last sample is in, results are usually ready within a few business days, plotted in your account, with the doctor consult to walk through the map if you chose that option.

Choose how you collect

Every option is the same accredited test and the same report. Pick what suits you at checkout; the fee, if any, is added to either pathway price.

Home kit, dried blood spot seriesIncluded

Finger-prick cards for each timed collection day, posted back together. Included in the price of this test.

Collection centreIncluded

A quick draw at an accredited pathology collection centre near you. Usually under ten minutes. Included.

Check collection near you

Accredited collection centres operate in every state and territory. We show you the closest ones the moment your test is requested.

Common questions

How is cycle mapping different from a day 3 or day 21 test?

A day 3 test measures baseline hormones; a day 21 test checks one mid-luteal progesterone. Both are single points. Mapping measures oestradiol and progesterone on eleven days across one cycle, so it shows the shape: when oestradiol peaks, whether and when progesterone rises, and how long the second half lasts.

How many blood tests are involved?

Eleven collections across one cycle, each a finger-prick card from your home kit or a standard blood draw at a collection centre. Oestradiol and progesterone are measured every time, and testosterone is added on day 11 only. The schedule is spread roughly every two to three days, closer together around ovulation, and we provide the dates once you know your day 1.

Can I do it with an irregular cycle?

Usually, yes. You start on day 2 or 3 of a bleed and follow the schedule; if your cycle runs long we extend it, and if your period comes early the map still shows what happened. Cycles that are very long or absent are often better checked with a single hormone panel first, and the doctor can advise which fits.

What does the result look like?

A chart with your cycle days along the bottom and two curves, oestradiol and progesterone, plotted against the laboratory's expected pattern, plus your day 11 testosterone and any diary notes. Each point is listed in a table too. The sample report page shows the format, and the doctor explains what your curves mean.

Does mapping tell me when I am fertile?

It shows when ovulation appears to have occurred in the cycle you mapped, and whether progesterone rose adequately afterwards. That is useful context, but cycles vary from month to month, so one map is not a fertility prediction for future cycles. Your doctor puts it together with your history and any other results.

Sources and further reading

General information only, not medical advice. A test result is one input to a doctor's assessment, not a diagnosis on its own, and every abnormal result is followed up by a KnowLuna doctor. If your symptoms are severe or sudden, see a doctor promptly. Read our medical disclaimer.

Cycles and hormones tests: the stage hub.
Ovulation check: the single day 21 progesterone test.
Female hormone panel: the ten-marker snapshot to start with.
Progesterone and the day 21 test: confirming ovulation
Oestradiol (E2) explained: what the test shows across your cycle
See a sample report

28-day cycle mapping