A lab test is a procedure in which a health care provider takes samples of your blood, urine, or body tissues. These tests are used to help our practitioners to diagnose or monitor a specific condition. Laboratory tests play a vital role in your health care, especially when you are trying to conceive and have met a lot of issues in the past. So, to truly see and tell what is happening under the surface, these lab tests are required to understand your condition, whether you are fertile enough, or if there's an issue relating to infertility.
While you wait for your lab results, you have this feeling you couldn't understand due to the anticipation of 'what ifs' because results may come in various possibilities. And those medical terms may also add to the confusion. There can be thousands of lab tests, and their results differ in many ways. But a few general guidelines may ease some of the confusion.
Who wanted to be poked with a needle and pee on a cup? But these procedures are so necessary that you're left with no choice but to obey because you know that this is one way to understand what the reason may be why things are happening and to truly see the reason for what is going on under the surface.
How do doctors use lab tests? It is to track an ongoing condition to determine what treatment will work. Or knowing the precise regimen needed.
How long does it take to get the results? That depends on the tests or the procedure you underwent. Some may only take a week; other tests may take 10-14 days.
Usually, lab results are shown as a set of numbers known as a reference range. This set of values includes upper and lower numbers of lab tests. The values between those limits may depend on age, sex, and specimen type. And also, can be affected by particular conditions such as fasting and exercise. You might see something like this on your results: LH 13.2ng/ml. Then at the bottom, it shows.
Adult Female:
Follicular phase 2.4 - 12.6
Ovulation phase 14.0 - 95.6
Luteal phase 1.0 - 11.4
Postmenopausal 7.7 - 58.5
So, when you see this result, your LH level is somewhat higher than the normal range. Sometimes, people get results outside the reference range, while others show them inside the normal range. If your result falls out of the normal range, or you're experiencing symptoms despite average results, you will likely need more testing. This may sound irksome, but it's needed. And always keep a copy of these lab results with you. It is advantageous, especially when switching from one doctor to another or you are seeking a second opinion or going to a specialist.
Fertility is a complex thing. You thought you knew your own body until you experienced inconveniences and nuances you couldn't comprehend. You thought you were ready to get pregnant but had experience miscarriages two to three times already. You may also experience long days of menstruation, or your menstrual cycle may be more than 28 days and longer than usual. These things could be prevented if you know whom to go to. Women are naturally emotional and when they feel down and different from the majority of people, they seek not just help but emotional support as well.
What are the false positive results and the false negative results?
False positive results refer to the results that say you have a condition when you don't have it. While the false negative results say, you don't have the disease but have it.
These incorrect results only happen sometimes, but they are more likely to occur with certain types of tests or if testing is not done correctly. Even though false negatives and positives are not common, your provider may need multiple tests to ensure your diagnosis is correct. So, you must know that the people who support you know exactly what they are doing.
Some factors can contribute to these misleading that may affect the accuracy of your lab results. So, knowing when the right time is to do the blood work, or the tests would lead to reliable results. The following samples may influence the accurate results of your lab tests.
- Certain foods and drinks
- Stress
- Medicines
- Not feeling well on the day of the tests or illness.
- Confusing instructions
- intense exercise
Ask your doctor about the recommended days to get and be done with your lab tests for the results to be accurate.