What Blood Test Should I Get? A Guide to Choosing the Right Panel

Quick answer

Start with a full panel for your yearly baseline. It covers metabolic, heart, liver, kidney, and thyroid markers, plus nutrients and inflammation. Add targeted modules for specific concerns. Add hormones for fertility. Add extra heart markers if heart disease runs in your family.

Start with the question, not the test

Before you pick a panel, ask yourself:

1. Is this a routine check, or a specific concern?
2. Am I trying to optimize, or troubleshoot a problem?
3. Does a family history point toward a certain risk?
4. Do I have symptoms right now?
5. When did I last test, and what did it show?

Your answers point to the right scope.

Panel ideas by situation

A routine yearly check for a healthy adult

A comprehensive panel works well here. It should cover:

• A complete blood count, a metabolic panel, and a full thyroid panel.
• HbA1c, fasting insulin, a lipid panel, and ApoB.
• hs-CRP, liver and kidney markers.
• Vitamin D, B12, folate, ferritin, and uric acid.

This gives broad coverage and a real trend baseline.

Your first-ever full test

Add lipoprotein(a) to the panel above. This is a one-time, lifetime test. It flags a genetic heart risk you only need to check once.

A family history of heart disease

Add lipoprotein(a), plus extra heart markers like homocysteine. A family history of early heart disease is a strong reason to test these closely.

A family history of diabetes

Focus on the metabolic side: HbA1c, fasting glucose, fasting insulin, and triglycerides. Retest this group every 6 months. Fasting insulin often shifts before HbA1c does.

Ongoing fatigue, brain fog, or stuck weight

Make sure your panel includes a full thyroid check, cortisol, B12, and vitamin D. These cover the most common causes: thyroid issues, nutrient gaps, and stress hormone imbalance.

Low libido or other sexual concerns (men)

Add a male hormone panel. This should include total and free testosterone, SHBG, estradiol, prolactin, LH, and FSH. Testosterone alone does not tell the full story. Our checklist for men's health testing covers this in full.

Irregular cycles, fertility plans, or perimenopause symptoms (women)

Add a female hormone panel. This should include estradiol, progesterone, FSH, LH, prolactin, testosterone, SHBG, and AMH. These need to be timed to your cycle for an accurate read. Our checklist for women's health testing walks through the details.

A weight loss journey

Retest your metabolic and inflammation markers every 3 months. Track HbA1c, fasting insulin, a lipid panel plus ApoB, triglycerides, ALT, and hs-CRP. These shift fastest with diet and exercise, giving you real feedback.

Training for athletic performance

Add iron studies and magnesium to your comprehensive panel. Men should also add a testosterone check. Low iron, low magnesium, and training-related hormone shifts all affect performance.

After a diet, supplement, or medicine change

Retest only the specific markers you are tracking, not the full panel. This costs less, and avoids reading too much into markers that were never affected.

Planning a pregnancy

Start with a full panel, plus a full thyroid check, ferritin, B12, vitamin D, and folate. Add AMH and a full hormone panel where relevant. Folate, B12, vitamin D, and ferritin all matter a lot before conception.

Once you know what you want to learn, you can book a full &you Labs panel with the right scope.

A simple decision guide for add-ons

• Family history of heart disease? Add lipoprotein(a), once in your life, plus extra heart markers.
• Ongoing fatigue, mood, or weight issues? Make sure a full thyroid panel is included, plus cortisol.
• Sexual or fertility concerns? Add the matching hormone panel.
• Training hard? Add iron studies, magnesium, and, for men, testosterone.
• Eating mostly plant foods? Make sure B12 and ferritin are included.

Age matters too. Our guide to blood tests by age breaks this down by decade.

What to skip

A few popular tests have weak evidence behind them. Your budget is often better spent elsewhere:

• IgG food sensitivity panels.
• Hair mineral analysis tests.
• Generic tumor markers used as routine screening.
• "Metabolic typing" or blood-type diet tests.

Your doctor may see a fit for one of these in your specific case. That is worth a direct conversation. But they are not a good fit for routine self-pay screening.

You can browse the full &you Labs biomarker list to see every marker on offer.

Frequently asked questions

How do I know if I need an add-on?

Can you name a specific symptom, family history, or goal beyond a general check? If so, an add-on is worth it. A routine yearly baseline usually does not need one.

Should I just order the most complete panel to be safe?

For a first-ever baseline, yes, broader is genuinely useful. For repeat yearly testing, a full panel without extra add-ons is usually enough. Add more only if something specific has changed.

What if I don't know what my goal is?

Start with a full panel. Many people find the results themselves point toward what matters most. That then guides future testing.

Should men and women test differently?

For a routine baseline, the same comprehensive panel works for both. Hormone panels are one difference. A few specific markers, like AMH for women or PSA for men, are the other.

How often should I repeat testing?

Once a year for a healthy adult with no active concerns. Every 3 to 6 months for a marker you are actively tracking.

Key takeaways

• Start with a full panel for any first-time baseline.
• Add targeted modules based on your specific concern: hormones, heart risk, or athletic performance.
• Lipoprotein(a) is a one-time, lifetime test, not a yearly one.
• For repeat testing, retest only the relevant markers, not the whole panel each time.
• Skip tests with weak evidence, like food sensitivity panels or hair mineral analysis.