Diagnoses & Biomarker Lexicon

17-OH-progesterone or 17-hydroxy-progesterone is an intermediate in the hormone production of cortisol, estrogens and testosterone. It is the lead hormone in a...

Adrenal insufficiency happens when the adrenal glands don’t produce enough steroid hormones.

Not getting your period is a condition called amenorrhea. It’s important for fertility because not having a menstrual cycle with monthly ovulation...

Androstenedione is a sex hormone that has "masculinising" (androgenic) effects. It belongs to the group of male hormones (androgens).

Anorexia is a type of eating disorder where you severely limit what you eat due to an intense fear of gaining weight...

The anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) is produced by the growing eggs in the ovaries and represents your egg supply.

Bulimia (or bulimia nervosa) is an eating disorder characterized by binge eating and purging the excess food by vomiting to try to...

Cortisol is a vital hormone produced in the adrenal cortex. Among other things, it is instrumental in regulating blood pressure and heartbeat...

A typical menstrual cycle lasts between 21 and 35 days, with bleeding for around 4 to 7 days. An abnormal cycle means...

The cytomegalovirus, CMV for short, causes the viral disease cytomegaly. In many cases, the disease doesn’t cause strong symptoms or feels like...

Cytomegalovirus (or CMV for short) is a common virus that affects people of all ages around the globe. It usually isn’t harmful...

Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) serves as a precursor for the formation of testosterone and estrogen.

Diabetes mellitus, later just referred to as “diabetes”, is a condition where the body can’t convert sugars and carbohydrates from food into...

Diminished ovarian reserve (DOR) means that the majority of the eggs in your ovaries have been used up. Unlike men who continuously...

Dysmenorrhea is the medical term for period pain. You may get cramps or other discomfort before or during your period.

Dyspareunia means persistent or recurrent pain that happens right before, during, or after sex. According to the American College of Obstetricians and...

Endometriosis is a condition where tissue like your uterine lining grows outside the womb: on the ovaries, fallopian tubes, pelvic tissues, or...

Erythrocytes are blood cells just like platelets and leucocytes. They make up the largest proportion of cells in the blood. They are...

Estradiol is the most important hormone in the estrogen group. It regulates the menstrual cycle, causes the follicles to mature and ensures...

Folic acid is the synthetic form of folate (vitamin B9). Folate is an essential vitamin that your body needs for cell and...

Excess vitamin B12 during pregnancy can increase the risk of health complications for the baby. Vitamin B12 is an essential vitamin that...

Ferritin is also an important component in iron metabolism. Iron binds to ferritin and is stored in this form in the organs....

Folate deficiency means that your body doesn’t have enough folic acid to function as it should. Folic acid is the synthetic form...

Folic acid is a B vitamin and important for the division, formation and regeneration of cells. Folic acid is therefore one of...

The follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) ensures that the oocytes develop in the ovaries and ovulation can occur in the middle of the...

Testosterone is mainly present in bound form, but only the unbound form is biologically active. The free androgen index (FAI) indicates the...

Triiodothyronine (T3) is one of two thyroid hormones. It is formed from thyroxine (T4) and stimulates different metabolic processes. A small part...

Thyroxine (T4) is one of two thyroid hormones and precursor for triiodothyronine (T3). It is less effective than Free T3.

Glucose (dextrose) is a carbohydrate and the main source of energy for the brain and muscles. It is channeled into the cells...

Graves’ disease is an autoimmune disorder in which the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks healthy tissue in the thyroid gland.

Hashimoto’s thyroiditis is an autoimmune disorder in which the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks healthy cells in the thyroid gland. Other names...

The HbA1c value indicates the percentage of the glycohemoglobin HbA1c in the total haemoglobin. The HbA1c value reflects the long-term blood sugar...

The Hematocrit value describes the proportion of blood cell components in relation to the total blood volume.

Hemoglobin is the reason why our blood is red and is therefore also called the red blood pigment. Haemoglobin is part of...

The "HOMA index" (abbreviation for Homeostasis Model Assessment) can be used to find out whether insulin resistance is present, i.e. whether the...

Hyperandrogenemia is a health condition that means that the body (ovaries or adrenal glands) is producing too many androgen hormones.

Hyperglycemia means that your blood sugar (glucose) level is very high. Your body needs glucose to work correctly, but abnormally high levels...

Hypergonadotropic hypogonadism (suspected POI) means that the ovaries produce too few reproductive hormones.

Hyperprolactinemia means that you have high levels of the hormone prolactin. Prolactin is a reproductive hormone produced by the pituitary gland which...

Hyperprolactinemia means that you have high levels of the hormone prolactin. Prolactin is a reproductive hormone produced by the pituitary gland which...

Hyperprolactinemia means that you have elevated prolactin levels, and it’s a relatively common condition in women. A prolactinoma is a noncancerous tumor...

Hyperthyroidism (overactive thyroid) means that the thyroid gland produces and releases more thyroid hormones (T3 and T4) than your body needs. Your...

Hypervitaminosis D, also known as vitamin D toxicity or vitamin d overdose, is what happens when you have too much vitamin D...

Hypogonadotropic hypogonadism means that the ovaries don’t produce enough reproductive hormones due to a problem with the pituitary gland or hypothalamus.

Hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid) means that the thyroid gland doesn’t create and release the amount of thyroid hormones that your body needs. Your...

You can use transglutaminase antibodies to determine if you have a predisposition to a specific autoimmune reaction in which your body turns...

Primary ovarian insufficiency (POI) means that the ovaries stop working normally before the average age of 40 because the egg reserve is...

Insulin is a hormone that helps move glucose from the blood into the cells. It thereby ensures that the cells are supplied...

Insulin is a hormone produced by the pancreas that regulates your body’s blood sugar levels. If you have resistance to insulin, this...

Iron belongs to the group of trace elements. It is involved in the transport of oxygen in the body. Iron is partly...

Iron deficiency means that you don’t have enough iron in your body. Iron is a mineral present in food that is essential...

Iron deficiency anemia is a health condition where the body doesn’t have enough healthy red blood cells due to a lack of...

Varicella, commonly known as chickenpox, is a viral infection that causes an itchy rash. It’s usually not dangerous in children but can...

Leukocytes are blood cells; unlike red blood cells (erythrocytes), they do not contain red blood pigment.

Leukocytosis means your white blood cell (or leukocyte) count is above the normal range. These cells are the fighters in your immune...

Leukopenia means that you have a low white blood cell count. White blood cells, or leukocytes, are vital to your immune system....

The luteinising hormone (LH) causes the largest maturing follicle in the ovary to release the mature oocyte in the middle of the...

Macrocytic hyperchromic anemia means that your bone marrow produces unusually large and dark red blood cells. These cells don’t have the nutrients...

The MCH value provides information about the average haemoglobin content of a single red blood cell (erythrocyte).

The MCHC value provides information about the average haemoglobin concentration of all red blood cells (erythrocytes)

The MCV value provides information about the average volume of red blood cells (erythrocytes). MCV stands for Mean Cell Volume. T

Microcytic hypochromic anemia means that your body has too few red blood cells and these cells are smaller and paler than usual....

Normocytic normochromic anemia means that you have a low red blood cell count, but your red blood cells have a normal shape,...

Ovarian insufficiency means that the ovaries aren’t working as they should, leading to problems with egg maturation. With normogonadotropic hyperprolactinemic ovarian insufficiency,...

Being overweight means that you have a Body Mass Index (BMI) over 25. To calculate your BMI, you divide your weight in...

Parvovirus B19 is the pathogen that caused ringworm. Getting infected with this virus in early pregnancy increases the risk for miscarriage.

Parvovirus B19 is a widespread infection that leads to fifth disease, a mild rash illness. It’s also known as “slapped-cheek disease” because...

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the most common hormonal disorder affecting women, and it’s one of the main causes of female infertility....

Progesterone, also called the corpus luteum hormone, maintains the female cycle. After sexual intercourse, it promotes the mobility of sperm and their...

Prolactin is a stress hormone that increases due to mental and physical stress. Prolactin enables women to breastfeed after birth by activating...

If you’ve had 3 or more miscarriages in a row (pregnancy loss before the 20th week), it’s called recurrent miscarriage or repeated...

Rh factor is a protein on the outside of red blood cells. If a mother is Rh negative and a baby is...

Rubella, also known as German measles, is a preventable illness caused by a viral infection. It’s usually a mild disease that may...

Rubella is a contagious infectious disease caused by the rubella virus. Normally, the disease is harmless, but during pregnancy it cause a...

Hyperandrogenemia is a common hormonal disorder where the body has an excess of androgen hormones. These are a group of sex hormones...

An SHBG value above the normal range can lead to infertility due to cycle disturbance, depression, restlessness, loss of libido, chronic fatigue...

Subclinical hyperthyroidism is a form of thyroid dysfunction characterized by low or undetectable levels of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) and normal levels of...

Subclinical hypothyroidism means that you have higher-than-normal levels of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) and normal levels of thyroid hormone thyroxine (T4). The thyroid...

Testosterone is a male sex hormone that, among other things, promotes libido in women and affects the skin and tissues. First and...

Like erythrocytes (red blood cells) and leukocytes (white blood cells), platelets belong to the blood cells.

Thrombocytopenia means that you have a low platelet count. Platelets, or thrombocytes, are blood cells produced by the bone marrow that help...

Thrombocytosis means that you have too many platelets in your blood. Platelets are a type of blood cell that aid in the...

Thyroglobulin antibodies (TGAb) attack a protein called thyroglobulin, from which the active thyroid hormones T3 and T4 are supposed to be produced.

Thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) activates the thyroid gland; thyroid hormones in turn influence the ovaries. For women who are trying to conceive, other...

Thyroidal peroxidase antibodies (TPOAb) are directed against microsomes (small structures within a thyroid cell) in the thyroid gland. With the help of...

Toxoplasmosis is an infectious disease caused by the parasite Toxoplasma gondii. It is transmitted mainly through contact with cat feces, raw meat,...

Toxoplasmosis is a common infection that usually doesn’t cause any problems, but it can lead to complications during pregnancy.

Transferrin is an important component in iron metabolism. It transports the iron in the blood to bring it to the various organs....

TSH receptor antibodies (TRAb) are antibodies that attach to the receptors on the thyroid gland that are actually intended for TSH.

Being underweight means that you have a Body Mass Index (BMI) under 18.5. BMI is your weight in kilograms divided by your...

Chickenpox is a viral disease caused by varicella zoster viruses. It's a widespread, contagious children’s disease that usually doesn’t cause lasting harm.

Vitamin B12 plays an important role in building new blood and nerve cells. An adequate supply of vitamin B12 is particularly important...

Vitamin B12 is an essential nutrient that our bodies need to work properly. It helps with nerve function, cell metabolism, and the...

Vitamin B12 deficiency anemia is a condition where your body doesn’t have enough healthy red blood cells. It happens when you consume...

Vitamin D is produced by the skin under the influence of sunlight and is also absorbed to a small extent through food....

Vitamin D deficiency means that you’re not getting enough of this essential vitamin to stay healthy. Vitamin D supports the health of...