Order your own labs
If your doctor won’t order it, you can.
So many women hear “your labs are normal” — or can’t get their doctor to run the tests they want at all. You don’t have to wait for permission. Through our partner Ulta Lab Tests, you can order your own lab work directly, then keep the results in your Tracker to see over time.
This page is educational — not medical advice, and not a prescription. We don’t tell you which tests to get or interpret your results; those are decisions for you and a qualified clinician. Not every test here is right for everyone — part of the point is to have an informed conversation about what makes sense for your situation. Costs are usually out of pocket.
Affiliate link: if you order through it, the Tracker may earn a small administrative fee — at no extra cost to you. It opens directly on Ulta Lab Tests’ site.
Labs women commonly discuss
A plain-language guide to what these tests measure and why they come up — so you can bring a clear, informed set of questions to a clinician.
General health
Common tests: CBC (complete blood count), CMP (comprehensive metabolic panel)
- What they measure
- your blood cells and basic body chemistry — a broad baseline of how your system is doing.
- Why women look at them
- It's where almost any workup begins, and it can flag things like anemia, blood-sugar, or organ-function issues that sometimes explain fatigue and other common symptoms.
- When to discuss with a clinician
- A normal panel doesn't rule your experience out, and anything abnormal needs a clinician to interpret in the context of your history.
On Ulta, look under General Health Tests.
Inflammation
Common tests: hs-CRP, ESR (sed rate), ferritin
- What they measure
- general markers of inflammation in the body — not specific to any one cause.
- Why women look at them
- Fatigue, joint pain, and brain fog are commonly reported, and clinicians sometimes check these when investigating such symptoms. A raised marker shows inflammation is present — it does not identify the cause, and a normal result doesn't invalidate what you're feeling.
- When to discuss with a clinician
- Bring results to someone who can read them alongside your full history — a starting point for a conversation, not an answer on their own.
On Ulta, look under Inflammation Tests.
Thyroid
Common tests: TSH, Free T4, Free T3, and thyroid antibodies (TPO, Tg)
- What they measure
- how your thyroid is functioning, and whether your immune system is targeting it.
- Why women look at them
- Thyroid problems can cause fatigue, weight and hair changes, temperature sensitivity, and mood changes — symptoms that overlap heavily with what women associate with BII, which is why it's so commonly checked to sort out what's what.
- When to discuss with a clinician
- Thyroid numbers need clinical interpretation; borderline or abnormal results should be reviewed with a clinician.
On Ulta, look under Thyroid Test.
Nutrient status
Common tests: Vitamin D, Vitamin B12, folate, iron / ferritin, magnesium
- What they measure
- whether your body has enough of some key nutrients.
- Why women look at them
- Deficiencies are common and can drive fatigue, brain fog, hair loss, and low mood — so they're often checked because they're both frequent and, importantly, correctable.
- When to discuss with a clinician
- Supplementing (especially iron) should be guided by a clinician — bring results before making changes.
On Ulta, look under Vitamin & Mineral Tests.
Autoimmune evaluation
Common tests: ANA (antinuclear antibody), thyroid antibodies, and others a clinician may add
- What they measure
- signs that the immune system may be reacting against the body's own tissue.
- Why women look at them
- Many women report autoimmune-type symptoms, and these are part of how clinicians screen for autoimmune conditions. A positive result is a reason to look further — not a diagnosis, and these can be positive in healthy people too.
- When to discuss with a clinician
- Autoimmune testing genuinely needs a clinician to interpret — please don't self-diagnose from a single result.
On Ulta, look under Autoimmune Tests.
Hormones
Common tests: estradiol, progesterone, testosterone, DHEA-S, cortisol (and others by age / stage)
- What they measure
- levels of some key hormones.
- Why women look at them
- Hormonal shifts cause fatigue, mood changes, sleep problems, and more — symptoms that overlap with what women report, and that change through perimenopause and menopause, so checking can help separate the threads.
- When to discuss with a clinician
- Hormones vary by cycle, age, and time of day; results only mean something with clinical context.
On Ulta, look under Hormone Tests.
Liver / kidney
Common tests: usually part of a CMP — ALT, AST (liver); BUN, creatinine, eGFR (kidney)
- What they measure
- how your liver and kidneys are functioning.
- Why women look at them
- These organs process and clear everything in your body, so checking them is part of a thorough baseline and can flag issues that affect how you feel.
- When to discuss with a clinician
- Abnormal liver or kidney results always warrant a clinician's review.
On Ulta, look under Liver Tests · Kidney Tests.
Other clinician-directed testing
Common tests: heavy metals, EBV / other infections, and anything specific to your history
- What they measure
- it varies — these are tests added based on your individual story.
- Why women look at them
- Some women and integrative clinicians look at things like heavy metals or reactivated infections. Whether any of it is worthwhile depends entirely on your situation.
- When to discuss with a clinician
- This is where 'clinician-directed' really matters — these are best chosen with someone who knows your full history.
On Ulta, look under Exposure Tests · Infectious Disease Testing.
Ready to see for yourself?
Order what you and your clinician decide makes sense, then upload the results to your Tracker to watch them over time.
The Breast Implant Illness Tracker is an independent educational resource. It does not diagnose, does not interpret lab results, and does not claim that breast implants cause any condition. Always make testing and treatment decisions with a qualified clinician.