Blood work timing: before vs. during oral contraceptive use

Sophia Reed67 said:After my gynecological checkup at a private clinic, they told me I need to get a full blood panel done—so I was thinking about heading to a private lab, maybe Quest Diagnostics or Labcorp.
I need a CBC, CMP, liver function test, lipid panel, coagulation profile, and beta-HCG.
Does anyone happen to know what the rates are like, or how much this is all going to cost me in the end?

Well, here is the price list from one medical center so you can do the math yourself...🤷

neonnomad18 said:here's the price list from some local clinic so just do the math...🤷

thanks 😉

Here’s some quick info that might come in handy. 🙂

From the book benefits and risks of oral hormonal contraception, a quote:

Regarding these warnings, it’s important to understand that for a young, healthy woman we’ve prescribed OHC, there’s no need to run any lab tests before she starts. A thorough medical history to identify cardiovascular risk, a blood pressure check, and a gynecological exam including a Pap smear for sexually active women are enough to get her started on OHC. If a woman continues using OHC long-term, checking glucose levels, liver function, and a lipid panel eventually makes sense. We will, of course, regularly require these tests for older women, those who are overweight, women with risk factors in their personal or family history, or women who already have existing risk factors.

So, I’m looking for some insight—I just had bloodwork done at my primary care physician's office. It was a full panel, including liver function tests and everything else, but I have to wait a week to actually sit down and go over the results with the doctor. In the meantime, I'm trying to figure out if these numbers tell me anything about the benefits and risks of oral hormonal contraception...
My red blood cell count is low—well, lower than it should be. My MCV is also high, exceeding the normal range. As for MCH and MCHC, they're sitting right on the upper limit, so they're effectively elevated too. What am I looking at here? :S
My ALT is low—that's part of the liver panel, I assume.
Basically, what does this whole blood count actually mean?

Hello,

I noticed you posted this question over on the Health subforum under the lab results thread. If you take a look at the guidelines in the original post for that topic, you'll find the answer there. To be blunt, we need more than just descriptions like "low," "high," or "within range" to provide a meaningful response. Please list your specific test results alongside their reference ranges. Additionally, include any existing diagnoses, current symptoms (like heavy periods), and your approximate age, as requested in the thread rules.

Roughly speaking, this could point toward anemia, though we’d need to see your actual red blood cell count and hemoglobin levels to say anything for sure. As for those low liver enzyme numbers (ALT, AST), they typically don't carry much clinical weight on their own.

Maria Fisher46 said:Ma'am,

I noticed you posted this question over on the Health PDF under the lab results thread. If you check the instructions in the original post for that topic, you'll find what you need—basically, we can't give a serious answer based on vague descriptions like "low" or "high." You need to list your actual results alongside the reference ranges. Also, please include any other diagnoses, symptoms (like heavy periods), and your approximate age, as requested in the guidelines.

Just looking at this—and I'm being cautious here—it could potentially be anemia, though we'd really need to see the specific red blood cell counts and hemoglobin levels to be sure. As for those slightly low liver enzymes (ALT, AST), they usually don't mean much clinically.

I felt I had to ask for advice because I went to my primary care doctor for blood work—my gynecologist didn't bother ordering any tests before putting me on the pill.
The first number is my result, and the last two are the reference values.
RBC: 3.90 ---- 4.07-5.42
Hemoglobin: 122 ---118-149
Hematocrit --- 0.376 --- 0.354-0-450
MCV 96.4 --- 76.5-92.1
MCH 31.3 --- 24.3- 31.5
MCHC 324 --- 304-346
Platelets: 206---178-420
WBC: 7.2 -- 4.4-11.6

Iron: 11.1 --- 6-31
UIBC: 60.2--- 31-72
TIBC: 71.3--- 53-84
AST: 18 -- 14-32
ALT: 10 --- 10-29
GGT: 14 --- 10-24

Prothrombin Time - INR: 1.02

I already posted my thoughts over in the "Lab Results" thread, so there's no need for me to repeat myself. Everything looks within the normal range.

Hi there, I’m not entirely sure if this is the right forum for my question, but I was wondering: am I allowed to get blood work done at any local community health center here in the US using a referral from my primary care physician, even if her office isn't located in my current city?
I really don't feel like shelling out extra cash for private labs if I don't have to...

Not an option. I tried heading straight to my OB-GYN's clinic recently, but they turned me away. It used to be simpler than this, but not anymore. Now you have to go through your primary care physician first—basically, you're stuck using whichever lab they've partnered with.

Is it possible for my primary care physician to provide a referral for hormone testing? My gynecologist prescribed birth control pills without requesting any blood work first, and I am wondering if I can still undergo these tests now that I have already started the medication...