Example report
An example report, on fictional values
This is what the full report does with the six markers the free first read named. Nothing here belongs to a real patient.
What the free first read already told you
Four counters and six names. Everything below this line comes with the full report.
Marker by marker
TSH
Pituitary signal to the thyroid
TSH is the hormone that controls the thyroid — like a thermostat regulating the speed of your metabolism. At 4.90 it sits just above your laboratory’s ceiling of 4.00, and well short of the 7.0 most physicians act on. That usually means a repeat in a few weeks, not a treatment today.
LDL cholesterol
A target, not a range
LDL has a target rather than a range, and the target depends on your cardiovascular risk. At 4.30 mmol/L you are above the 3.00 usually set for low risk — the figure that matters is the one your physician sets for you, not the one printed on the sheet.
Haemoglobin
Oxygen carried by red cells
Haemoglobin carries oxygen. At 11.4 g/dL you are below the 12.0 floor and above the 10.0 that usually prompts action. This line is read with MCV and ferritin: small red cells and low iron stores point one way, large red cells another.
By system
Iron stores
Ferritin is the body’s iron reserve — like a safe that stores iron for future needs. Yours is low while your haemoglobin is only slightly under: the reserve is emptying before the transport is affected, which is the usual order of events.
Lipid panel
LDL above target, HDL excellent. One line to work on, one line to protect — and no reason to read either in isolation from your blood pressure and your family history.
Thyroid function
A single TSH slightly above range, with no symptoms listed, is the most common thyroid result there is. A second measurement decides whether it is a trend or a morning.
A prioritised action plan
Repeat TSH in six to eight weeks, in the morning, at the same laboratory.
Bring the iron panel to your next appointment: ferritin, haemoglobin and MCV read together, not one at a time.
Discuss your LDL target rather than your LDL value — the target depends on your own risk level.
Five questions to ask your doctor
Is my LDL target 3.00, or lower given my own risk?
Should the low ferritin be investigated, or supplemented and re-checked?
Does a TSH at 4.90 change anything today, or do we wait for a second one?
Which of these lines do you want to follow, and at what interval?
Is there anything here that explains how I have been feeling?
The full report applies this format to your own values, for a one-off $14.90 — refunded on request.