Why Your “Normal” Labs May NOT Be Normal
Feeling like something’s off… but your labs are “normal”?
Here’s the truth: normal lab values are NOT optimal. And often when you get your labs done at the doctors office, if it’s in the “green” then you just don’t hear back.
I had this experience myself. I was feeling crappy, tired, and inflamed. No matter how much sleep I got, I was still tired. I knew something was off so I went to get my labs done.
My ferritin (a marker for iron deficiency) came back at 17 ng/dL. It looked fine on the report and wasn’t flagged. That’s because their “normal” range was set to 11 ng/dL, but I was feeling lousy there!
As a healthcare professional, I knew what was going on and what to do, but I also know that so many people don’t and solely rely on the office to call when something is off. (And 9 times out of 10…they don’t.)
I find that so many women get told everything looks fine, yet they still feel tired, moody, bloated, or stuck. They come to me with labs that look normal but are not optimal.
And here, we do not strive to just be “normal”.
Let’s break down a few key markers that are important and what they actually mean for your health…
TSH (Thyroid-Stimulating Hormone, regulates thyroid)
Optimal Range: 1.0 – 2.5 mIU/L (not just under 4.5!)
Low TSH (hyperthyroid): Anxiety, rapid heartbeat, weight loss, insomnia
High TSH (hypothyroid): Fatigue, brain fog, dry skin, weight gain, constipation
Ferritin (Iron Storage)
Optimal Range: 50 – 100 ng/mL for women (vs. normal lab cutoff of ~15)
Low Ferritin: Hair loss, fatigue, heavy periods, poor exercise recovery
High Ferritin: Joint pain, fatigue, risk of inflammation or liver issues
Vitamin D (25-Hydroxy Vitamin D - important for bone health and immunity)
Optimal Range: 40 – 60 ng/mL
Low Vitamin D: Depression, low immunity, bone loss, muscle weakness
High Vitamin D: Nausea, poor appetite, kidney issues (usually only from excess supplementation)
Estradiol (E2) (aka Estrogen)
Optimal Range (varies by cycle phase)
Follicular: 30 – 120 pg/mL
Ovulation: 130 – 400 pg/mL
Luteal: 70 – 250 pg/mL
Low E2: Irregular cycles, low libido, vaginal dryness, hot flashes
High E2: PMS, breast tenderness, heavy periods, bloating
Progesterone
Optimal (mid-luteal): >10 ng/mL (ideally 15 – 30 for symptom-free cycle)
Low Progesterone: Spotting, short luteal phase, PMS, anxiety, insomnia
High Progesterone: Rare, but may cause sleepiness or breast tenderness
hs-CRP (Inflammation Marker)
Optimal: <1.0 mg/L
Elevated CRP: May signal chronic inflammation, overtraining, or poor recovery
Keep an eye on this one if you're working on hormone balance or healing your gut.
Fasting Insulin (regulates blood sugar)
Optimal: 2 – 5 µIU/mL
High Insulin: Weight gain (especially midsection), sugar cravings, fatigue after meals
Low Insulin: Rare, may cause shakiness or low blood sugar symptoms
Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) (Marker for diabetes risk)
Optimal: 4.8 – 5.2%
Elevated: blood sugar dysregulation, fatigue, sugar cravings, increased risk of insulin resistance
5.6% may indicate prediabetes, even if fasting glucose looks fine
Are you ready to understand your results and finally start feeling like yourself again? Let’s decode your labs together and build a plan that works best for YOU!
