Stress is a natural part of life and impacts us almost on a daily basis. Whilst a small amount of stress can actually be good for us (believe it or not), chronic stress and burn out can end up negatively impacting almost all of our body’s processes—including our menstrual cycles. In this article we’re going to cover exactly what stress is, the science behind it, how it can impact our…
What to Do When You Have a Haemolysed Blood Sample
Read moreWith any type of blood collection, haemolysed blood samples can happen. They are very common—in fact, they are actually the number one cause of rejected samples by labs, second only to insufficient sample size (1). But we know it can be frustrating to hear that your sample couldn’t be analysed—especially if you’re someone who doesn’t like having blood taken. In this blog post we will walk you through what happens…
Can I test my hormones and fertility while on birth control?
Read moreWhether or not you can test your hormones and fertility while on birth control depends on the type of birth control you use. Despite most of us only being able to reel off a handful, there are actually 17 different types of birth control, or contraception. These include both hormonal and non-hormonal options, plus, long-term and short-term methods. Whatever method of contraception works best for you is personal and will…
5 Things AMH Testing Can (and can’t) Tell You About Your Fertility
Read moreAnti-Müllerian Hormone (AMH) is a really important hormone for your fertility and overall health. Because of how closely it is linked to your eggs, AMH testing can help you understand your fertility and give you insights into your overall reproductive health. There are some myths out there about exactly what AMH testing can and can’t tell you, so in this blog post we’re going to explore exactly that and give…
Oestrogen 101: What it is, what it does and how it changes
Read moreOestrogen truly is the matriarch of female sex hormones. It helps to control the menstrual cycle, enable ovulation, produce female sex characteristics helps us to feel feisty, frisky and fabulous. There are three different types of oestrogen, also sometimes spelt estrogen (the American spelling). Like all of our hormones, our oestrogen levels can sometimes become off-balanced—with many different lifestyle and genetic factors impacting its production and regulation throughout the body.…
Prolactin 101: Everything you need to know about prolactin
Read moreProlactin is perhaps best known as the ‘milk hormone’ because of its vital role in breast growth and breast milk (lactation) production. But prolactin actually has a myriad of functions within the body, playing a vital role in overall health for those both assigned-female and male-at-birth. In this article, we’ll dive into exactly what prolactin is, what its functions are in the body, discuss imbalances in its levels and the…
What Do Your SHBG Levels Mean?
Read moreSex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) is an important protein involved in the regulation of our sex hormones. Just like our menstrual cycle, thyroid and fertility hormones, our SHBG levels can affect our reproductive health—including our ability to conceive. So what is a good, or ‘normal’ range for our SHBG levels? And how do we know when ours might be too high or too low? We’ve broken down all you need to…
Follicle-Stimulating Hormone: What Do Your FSH Levels Mean?
Read moreFSH stands for Follicle-Stimulating Hormone and is one of the main hormones involved in the regulation of your menstrual cycle and ovulation—making it an important hormone not only for your health but your fertility too. In this article we’re giving you the lowdown on everything you need to know about your FSH levels, including how to know what normal FSH levels look like, symptoms of high and low FSH levels…
Fibroids 101: Signs, symptoms and treatments
Read moreAround 2 in 3 women will develop a fibroid at some point in their lifetime, but what are fibroids, and how do they affect our lives? Don’t worry; we are taking it back to basics and giving you the lowdown on fibroids. What are fibroids? Uterine fibroids are benign or non-cancerous growths of fibrous and muscle tissue in or around the uterus (womb). They are sometimes known as myomas or…
What makes Hertility different to other at-home fertility tests?
Read moreAround the world, people are becoming more aware of their fertility. While fertility struggles used to be kept private, the conversation is opening up around the potential for fertility problems and so fertility testing is much more common than it used to be. But with more at-home fertility tests available, how do you know which one is best? This is an important time to put your eggs in the right…