Women’s representation
Who takes part in research matters. Women’s life stages need to be reflected in how evidence is studied and explained.
Science
Most of modern medicine was never studied on women.
We use the reporting lab’s reference ranges and pair results with plain-English context from published women’s health research.
01 · The gap
The questions that made us start.
Diagnostic delays
Symptoms deserve careful attention. A result in the lab’s range is one part of the picture to discuss with your clinician.
Cycle context
The timing of a hormone draw matters. Your results include the relevant preparation and cycle context.
Evidence, explained
Plain-language notes sit beside the lab’s standard range. They don’t replace a clinician’s interpretation.
02 · Reference ranges
“In range” for whom, exactly?
A lab range shows where 95 out of 100 people's results fall. But the people in that group matter. Your results show the reporting lab's own reference range, and we add plain-English notes about women's health and your cycle phase. A result being “in range” is only part of the picture.
TSH
mIU/LThe standard range comes from a mixed group of people. The cited guideline uses a TSH target below 2.5 for women treated for hypothyroidism who plan to become pregnant.1,2
- Alexander EK, Pearce EN, Brent GA, et al. (2017). Thyroid, 27(3): 315–3892017 ATA Guidelines: preconception TSH target <2.5 mIU/L
- Korevaar TIM, Medici M, Visser TJ, Peeters RP. (2017). Nature Reviews Endocrinology, 13(10): 610–622
Standard lab range
Reported on every result
0.4–4.5
◆ 2.5 · Published guideline value
Ferritin
ng/mLThe lab’s lower limit is 16 ng/mL. Studies have found fatigue, hair loss and restless legs in some women below 50 ng/mL.1,2
- Vaucher P, Druais PL, Waldvogel S, Favrat B. (2012). CMAJ, 184(11): 1247–1254Iron supplementation reduced fatigue in non-anemic women with ferritin <50
- Rushton DH. (2002). Clinical & Experimental Dermatology, 27(5): 396–404
Quest range, women 19–40
The top rises with age: 232 at 41–60, 288 over 60
16–154
◆ 50 · Study threshold
Vitamin D
ng/mLThe cited Endocrine Society guideline treats levels below 30 ng/mL as insufficient for bone health, where the lab's range begins. The Institute of Medicine treats 20 ng/mL as enough for most people.1,2
- Holick MF, Binkley NC, Bischoff-Ferrari HA, et al. (2011). J Clin Endocrinol Metab, 96(7): 1911–1930Endocrine Society Clinical Practice Guideline
- Bischoff-Ferrari HA, Willett WC, Orav EJ, et al. (2012). New England Journal of Medicine, 367(1): 40–49
Standard lab range
Reported on every result
30–100
Estradiol (luteal)
pg/mLOne general ‘female’ range can hide changes across the menstrual cycle. The cited study found different ranges for each cycle phase. EllaDx records your cycle phase beside each result.1
- Stricker R, Eberhart R, Chevailler MC, et al. (2006). Clin Chem Lab Med, 44(7): 883–887Reference intervals for estradiol, LH, FSH and progesterone across the menstrual cycle
Typical luteal range
Varies by lab and method; your result shows its own
30–400
03 · Validation
How a lab marker earns its place in a panel.
Five steps, from a health question to a review every six months. Every lab marker in every panel goes through all five.
- 01
Start with a health question
Symptom → questionEach panel starts with symptoms women report. We choose tests that may help answer questions about those symptoms, not just tests that are easy to sell.
- 02
Review the research
Evidence grades A–DOur medical team reviews published studies. We choose tests backed by research on women. We also point out when the evidence is limited.
- 03
Choose and check each test
Under 8% variation on sensitive testsQuest Diagnostics runs every test in labs that meet CLIA and CAP quality standards. For low hormone levels, such as estradiol and testosterone, Quest uses highly sensitive LC/MS testing.
- 04
Review women's health research
Peer-reviewed, citedOur medical team reviews published women's health studies for every lab marker. Your result includes those research notes beside the standard lab range, not in place of it.
- 05
Review new research
Refreshed every 6 moEvery six months, our medical team reviews the research again. We remove lab markers when the support gets weaker. We also update the notes beside your results when new studies are published.
04 · The evidence
Every claim, sourced.
Papers that shaped how we think about women's diagnostics, and the ones we keep returning to when building new panels.
Vogel B, Acevedo M, Appelman Y, et al. (2021)
The Lancet women and cardiovascular disease Commission: reducing the global burden by 2030
The Lancet, 397(10292): 2385–2438
Westergaard D, Moseley P, Sørup FKH, et al. (2019)
Population-wide analysis of differences in disease progression patterns in men and women
Nature Communications, 10: 666
Mogil JS. (2020)
Qualitative sex differences in pain processing: emerging evidence of a biased literature
Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 21: 353–365
Razvi S, Bhana S, Mrabeti S. (2019)
Challenges in interpreting thyroid stimulating hormone results in the diagnosis of thyroid dysfunction
Journal of Thyroid Research, 4106816
Zondervan KT, Becker CM, Missmer SA. (2020)
Endometriosis
New England Journal of Medicine, 382: 1244–1256
Mirin AA. (2021)
Gender disparity in the funding of diseases by the U.S. National Institutes of Health
Journal of Women’s Health, 30(7): 956–963
Soldin OP, Mattison DR. (2009)
Sex differences in pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics
Clinical Pharmacokinetics, 48(3): 143–157
Merz AA, Cheng S. (2016)
Sex differences in cardiovascular ageing
Heart, 102(11): 825–831
Daitch V, Turjeman A, Poran I, et al. (2022)
Underrepresentation of women in randomized controlled trials: a systematic review
Trials, 23: 1038
Full bibliography of 240+ papers available on request · Last updated Q1 2026
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