[leenoodle]

OK..so I have my yearly appointment nest week. What blood tests would you get done just to 'see how you are doing'? We are not necessarily going to TTC anytime soon but I would like to get as normal as possible. KWIM? I have been strictly dieting and taking supplements the last 3 weeks and would like to really, truly know if they have made a difference.

I know I want my cholesterol checked (along with triglycerides) but what else?

Thanks in advance!

[Mollz]

Are blood tests really necessary to know what you're doing? Have you already had blood tests done before you started? If not, then there's nothing to measure your results against.

A better test would be a caliper test. Get one done at your doctor's and another one done in 2-3 months' time.

[JulieJ08]

Your doctor should order anything that's indicated for preventative medicine or indicated by your history or any symptoms. There's two problems with tests done "just to see" - (1) insurance companies (or fellow taxpayers) naturally don't want to pay for them; and (2) all tests have false positives, which lead to more testing, which means more cost and more risk too, not to mention lost work time and stress and worry. OTOH, I totally understand wanting to see, I'm curious that way too.