Women’s fertility is on the brain for us. Why? Because the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics recently reported that while U.S. birth rates have hit record lows for teens (62.9 births per 1,000 women), data is showing a rise among older women this past year. A quick overview of what was reported:
- Birth rates for women in their 30s and 40s rose
- Among the 35-to-39 age group, the birth rate was the highest since 1963
- Among women ages 40 to 44, the birth rate was the highest since 1966.
The attention on women’s fertility (or any health news/trend, really) usually prompts us to take the opportunity to educate when we can. There is a specific set of biomarkers to track when it comes to women – whether a baby is in your near future or not – because the potential risks of not tracking these biomarkers are hormone imbalances that affect sleep, energy, longevity, and mood. Hence the title of this blog.
The biomarkers women should be tracking
Because the functioning of all cells and tissues in the body are dependent on the delivery of oxygen by your red blood cells, it’s important for women to routinely assess their blood cells and essential nutrient levels. Specifically:
- Complete Blood Count with differential: This biomarker identifies certain indications of anemia or certain indications of disorders in immune cells.
- Ferritin (serum): Ferritin is a protein that stores iron before it’s used to make new red blood cells.
- Total Iron Binding Capacity (TIBC): TIBC measures the level of iron in the blood and how easily iron is transported to make red blood cells.
- Folate: An essential vitamin in the production of many cells, including red and white blood cells. Healthy folate levels support nerve function, bone and brain health, and help prevent serious birth defects of the spinal cord and brain.
- Vitamin B12: An essential vitamin in the production of many cells, including red blood cells and nerve function.
- RBC Magnesium: Essential mineral in over 300 biochemical reactions; a common deficiency.
In addition to the above, the following biomarkers are related to fertility and the overall function of the female reproductive system:
- Testosterone: An anabolic hormone driving production of muscle and burning of fat. Read about the role it plays in men here.
- Estradiol: This is the main female sex hormone and byproduct of testosterone metabolism.
- Progesterone: A primarily female sex hormone that, like other hormones, influences mood, fertility, and metabolism.
- Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH): FSH is a primarily female reproductive hormone that helps stimulate follicle production.
- Luteinizing Hormone (LH): LH stimulates cells to produce sex hormones.
- Sex Hormone Binding Globulin (SHBG): SHBG binds to testosterone and other sex hormones, taking away their bioactivity.
- Thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH): The overall measure of thyroid stimulation affecting metabolism, energy, weight, and temperature control. WellnessFX offers an Advanced Thyroid package, which can be ordered separately or with other packages.
WellnessFX created a Women’s Health Package, an extensive panel of women’s health-focused biomarkers. It’s not just for fertility – the panel can also test for imbalances in the hormones discussed here that affect factors like sleep, energy, longevity, and mood.
The posts on this blog are for information only, and are not intended to substitute for a doctor-patient or other healthcare professional-patient relationship nor do they constitute medical or healthcare advice of any kind. Any information in these posts should not be acted upon without consideration of primary source material and professional input from one's own healthcare professionals.