Individual tests

Prolactin is a pituitary gland hormone that causes the breasts to grow and produce milk. If prolactin levels are higher than normal, it often means there is a type of tumor of the pituitary gland. This test is often used to diagnose a prolactinoma, find the cause of a woman's menstrual irregularities and/or infertility, or determine the reason for a man's low sex drive and/or erectile dysfunction.
SHBG is a protein that attaches to sex hormones in your blood. When the SHBG protein binds to sex hormones, your tissues can't use those hormones. Your tissues can only use free sex hormones that aren't attached to SHBG. The test is most often used to gather information about how testosterone is working in the body.
Testosterone is known as a "male" sex hormone, but females have testosterone in smaller amounts. Testosterone causes body hair, muscle growth, and a deepened voice after puberty in males. It controls sex drive, maintains muscle mass, and helps make sperm. In females, testosterone is important for the growth of bones and muscles. A testosterone levels test may help diagnose early or delayed puberty.
Transferrin is the main protein in the blood that binds to iron and transports it throughout the body. It may be used along with other iron tests to assess the amount of iron circulating in the blood, the total capacity of the blood to transport iron, and the amount of stored iron in the body. The test may also help differentiate between various causes of anemia.
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