We no longer chase longevity for longevity’s sake. Of course we want to live a long life, but research has shifted the focus to how we can improve our healthspan. Healthspan is the number of years you live without major chronic disease or, how to maximize your well years. These are the years you spend functional, doing the things you enjoy, and feeling as good as you can.
Researchers are also thinking about “peakspan,” a newly defined term that refers to the years where you’re at your best in a given psychological or cognitive area. Peakspan may reach its max in your 20s to 30s, which is all the more reason to do what you can now to better your health.
Focusing on your healthspan doesn’t start when you reach a certain age, it starts now. For women, that journey is shaped by a unique interplay of hormonal shifts, metabolic health, inflammation, and age-related changes that begin before symptoms or a diagnosis would appear.
Biomarker testing provides a look into what may be going on in your body, so you can help detect potentially harmful changes and step in early when you can make the biggest difference in your health future. Many chronic conditions develop silently over the years, and with age, women’s risk of heart disease, stroke, osteoporosis, and more increase after menopause.
Here are 10 biomarkers you can get from blood testing across hormonal, metabolic, cardiovascular, nutrition, and more:
Hormonal health
1. Female hormone markers
What it measures: Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), estradiol (estrogen), progesterone, anti-mullerian hormone (AMH), total testosterone.
What changes it may show: May indicate reasons behind low libido or fertility problems or point to hormonal disorders, menstrual problems, female-specific tumors or cancer. Testing can also monitor how well certain hormonal treatments are working.
Why it matters for women: Hormone levels are constantly changing throughout your cycle and life stage as you move from premenopause to perimenopause and postmenopause. These markers provide insight into your reproductive health, sexual function, and sex drive.
2. Thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH)
What it measures: TSH is a master hormone that directs your thyroid to release its hormones. The thyroid is a butterfly-shaped gland at the base of your neck, and its hormones control metabolism, which affects your heart rate, digestion, mental activity, body temperature, and more.
What changes it may show: Higher-than-normal TSH suggests hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid), while lower-than-normal TSH suggests hyperthyroidism (overactive thyroid).
Why it matters for women: Thyroid disease is common, affecting one out of eight women in their lifetime. Thyroid problems, such as weight gain, mood problems, menstrual irregularity, or body temperature regulation issues, can be mistaken for menopause symptoms.
Metabolic health
3. Comprehensive metabolic panel (CMP)
What it measures: Looks at 14 substances related to liver and kidney function, blood sugar levels, and fluid and electrolytes.
What changes it may show: Problems in liver and kidney function that indicate disease, including but not limited to metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD; or “fatty liver”) and chronic kidney disease (CKD), the fluid and electrolyte balance in your body, as well as your blood sugar.
Why it matters for women: After menopause, your risk of MASLD increases thanks to estrogen decline. And although about one in six women have CKD, there are typically no symptoms until the disease is advanced.
4. Hemoglobin A1c (HBA1c)
What it measures: Average blood glucose level over two or three months.
What changes it may show: High HBA1c is an indication of prediabetes or type 2 diabetes.
Why it matters for women: Keeping blood sugar at a healthy level is important for everyone, but women who have diabetes have a higher risk of developing heart disease than men, are less likely to survive after a heart attack, and are vulnerable to pregnancy complications and depression.
Cardiovascular risk
5. Lipid panel
What it measures: Total cholesterol, LDL and HDL cholesterol, and triglyceride levels.
What changes it may show: Cholesterol screening is vital, since high cholesterol typically causes no symptoms.
Why it matters for women: Women are less likely to be diagnosed with high cholesterol or to be treated for it compared to men, research suggests. High lipid levels raise your risk of heart attack and stroke.
Nutrient and systemic markers
6. Complete blood count (CBC)
What it measures: Red and white blood cell and platelet count
What changes it may show: Reveals if your body is making too many or too few of these cells, which may suggest conditions like anemia, infections, immune system disorders, or even certain cancers.
Why it matters for women: Menstruating women are at a higher risk for anemia. Can also help rule out more concerning causes of common symptoms like fatigue.
7. Autoimmune screening
What it measures: Antinuclear Antibody (ANA)
What changes it may show: Elevated ANA is a possible sign of an autoimmune disease, a type of disease where the body’s own immune system attacks itself. It’s not specific, and there are as many as 150 autoimmune diseases, so it can’t tell you what you have but can give your doctor the nudge to do more testing.
Why it matters for women: 80% of people with autoimmune disease are female, but myths and disbelief surrounding women’s health symptoms means that they’re often delayed.
8. Iron studies
What it measures: Ferritin (a protein that stores iron), iron, total iron-binding capacity (TIBC) (a measure of your body’s ability to transport iron in your body)
What changes it may show: Can help diagnose iron-deficiency anemia.
Why it matters for women: Most people who are diagnosed with iron-deficiency anemia are women; anemia causes fatigue, chest pain with activity, brittle nails and hair loss, cold intolerance, among other symptoms that can leave you feeling unwell.
9. Vitamin and nutrient levels
What it measures: B12, folate (B9), vitamin D, zinc, and magnesium.
Why it matters for women: These nutrients are involved in energy production, DNA synthesis and cell division, immune system health, muscle and nerve function, bone health, and more.
What changes it may show: Can indicate insufficiency or deficiency of one or more of these nutrients, providing intel on symptoms you may be experiencing, as well as gaps in your diet.
10. Celiac disease screening
What it measures: Tissue transglutaminase IgA (tTG-IgA) antibodies
What changes it may show: If you have celiac disease and eat gluten, your body will produce higher levels of these antibodies. When tTG-IgA is elevated, your doctor may recommend follow-up testing to confirm.
Why it matters for women: Six or seven out of 10 people with celiac disease are women, which can affect reproductive health and speed bone loss after menopause. Frequently missed, celiac diagnosis can take the better part of a decade.
Although a single test can be highly informative, many women benefit from testing their biomarkers over time to track progress, determine the efficacy of lifestyle changes or treatment, and evaluate trends in their health, particularly through life stages like the menopausal transition.
Prenuvo Memberships are a proactive approach for monitoring your health across years and decades. Imaging combined with blood labs and clinical interpretation helps you stay on track with your habits, tackle health concerns, and ideally add more years to your healthspan.
To learn more about the benefits of Prenuvo Memberships, book a call with the Patient Services Team.
