Female hormone test: what it checks, PCOS and price in Dubai

A female hormone test is a group of blood tests that shows how the ovaries, the pituitary gland and the adrenal glands are working together. It is commonly used to look into irregular or absent periods, signs of higher androgens such as acne or excess hair, difficulty getting pregnant, and changes around menopause. In Dubai and across the UAE it is sold as a package, and what each package contains varies widely.

What the test includes

Clare's panel includes seven markers that make up the female hormone picture, in three groups.

• Signals from the pituitary. Luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) tell the ovaries to develop and release an egg. Prolactin, known for milk production, also affects cycles and fertility when it runs high.
• The ovaries' answer. Estradiol, the main oestrogen, rises and falls through the cycle in response to LH and FSH.
• Androgens and their carrier. Total testosterone; DHEA-S, an androgen that comes mainly from the adrenal glands; and SHBG, the protein that binds testosterone and decides how much is free. From total testosterone and SHBG, Clare also calculates free testosterone and the free androgen index.

Estradiol, LH, FSH, prolactin, DHEA-S and SHBG each have their own page with ranges and what moves them. This page explains how they are read together.

Who usually asks for it

• Irregular, infrequent or absent periods. In adults, the international PCOS guideline treats cycles shorter than 21 days or longer than 35 days, or fewer than 8 cycles a year, as irregular.
• Signs of higher androgens: excess facial or body hair, acne, or thinning scalp hair.
• Difficulty getting pregnant after a year of trying.
• Hot flushes, night sweats or cycle changes before the age of 45, when a doctor wants to check for an early menopause.
• Milky nipple discharge outside pregnancy and breastfeeding, which leads to a prolactin test.

Preparing for the test

• Cycle day. If you have periods, LH and FSH are taken on day 1 to 5 of the cycle, counting the day bleeding starts as day 1. Note the date of your last period either way, since every result is read against it.
• Time of day. Prolactin changes through the day and is usually sampled three to four hours after waking; stress, exercise and sex can nudge it up. Testosterone is highest in the morning.
• Contraception and hormone therapy. The combined pill raises SHBG and lowers androgen production, so androgen results taken on it are very hard to read, and FSH is not used to judge menopause in someone on combined contraception. Tell the doctor what you take, and do not stop it without their advice.
• Pregnancy changes most of these hormones, and oestrogen is at its highest then. If you could be pregnant, say so.
• Biotin. High-dose biotin from over-the-counter supplements can make some hormone immunoassays read falsely high or low, including estradiol, testosterone, DHEA-S, LH and FSH. Mention it when the sample is taken.

How the markers are read together

None of these markers is read alone. Doctors look for patterns.

Pituitary and ovaries

• High FSH and LH with low estradiol. The ovaries are responding less to the pituitary's signal, as in menopause or, before 40, premature ovarian insufficiency.
• Low or normal FSH and LH with low estradiol. The signal itself is weak, which points to the hypothalamus or pituitary. Weight loss, intensive exercise and a high prolactin are among the causes.
• Normal FSH and LH with irregular cycles. This is the group that includes polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).

Androgens

A higher total testosterone, a higher free androgen index or a low SHBG point to androgen excess, which in women of reproductive age is often linked to PCOS, the most common hormonal condition in that group. DHEA-S helps place the source: a raised DHEA-S suggests the adrenal glands, as in congenital adrenal hyperplasia, rather than the ovaries. Results far above the laboratory range lead doctors to look for causes beyond PCOS, and are usually rechecked by mass spectrometry.

Prolactin and thyroid

A high prolactin is one of the recognised causes of disturbed ovulation. Small rises can follow stress or exercise, and some medicines and a high-protein diet raise it, so a high result is often repeated. An underactive thyroid can also raise prolactin, which is why TSH is checked alongside; our article on how we read a thyroid panel explains it.

The LH to FSH ratio is sometimes quoted as a sign of PCOS. One NHS laboratory notes it is raised in about half of cases, is less sensitive in women with obesity because LH tends to be lower, and is not part of the diagnostic criteria.

Female hormone tests and PCOS

PCOS is diagnosed when two of three features are present, after other causes have been ruled out: irregular cycles, clinical or biochemical androgen excess, and polycystic ovaries on ultrasound or, in adults, a raised AMH. When irregular cycles and androgen excess are both present, the scan or AMH is not needed. In adolescents, both irregular cycles and androgen excess are required.

A blood test cannot diagnose PCOS by itself. What it does is show biochemical androgen excess and rule out conditions that can look similar. The 2023 international guideline recommends total and free testosterone, with free testosterone estimated by calculation such as the free androgen index, ideally measured by mass spectrometry, and DHEA-S and androstenedione as a next step if those are normal. It lists TSH, prolactin, 17-hydroxyprogesterone and FSH among the tests used to exclude other causes, and notes that blood androgen tests add most when there are few visible signs such as excess hair.

Because women with PCOS have a higher risk of type 2 diabetes regardless of age and weight, the guideline recommends checking blood sugar at diagnosis and every 1 to 3 years after. Our article on reading HbA1c, glucose and insulin together explains those markers.

Normal range for total testosterone in women

Total testosterone is reported in nmol/L by many laboratories, and in ng/dL by others (1 ng/dL is 0.0347 nmol/L).

Ranges vary by laboratory, method, age and sex, and the range on your own report is the one to read against. Testosterone in women falls with age. The PCOS guideline also cautions that many laboratory ranges for women are drawn from groups that are likely to include women with PCOS.

Why it matters in the UAE

The 2023 international guideline puts PCOS at 10% to 13% of women worldwide and notes it may be more common in the Eastern Mediterranean region, which includes the UAE. UAE figures depend on how they are counted. At Latifa Women and Children's Hospital in Dubai, PCOS was recorded for 1.6% of 64,722 women aged 15 to 45 between 2017 and 2022, a method that counts diagnoses coded in hospital records. In the UAE Healthy Future Study, 25.9% of 1,040 Emirati women aged 25 to 67 reported having been diagnosed with PCOS. The two figures measure different things, so they are not directly comparable, and the Dubai authors note that published UAE data based on objective criteria have been scarce.

Price

When we read public prices on 11 October 2026, a female hormone panel cost from 289 to 1,800 at 10 UAE providers. Single hormones bought one at a time cost 40 to 90 at 2 providers. The packages differ widely: some add progesterone, AMH or thyroid tests, some leave out estradiol or prolactin, and several at the upper end include specialist consultations, so it is worth comparing what is inside as well as the price. VAT is rarely stated, several prices were offers or "from" prices, and home collection can add a fee, although the lowest-priced package includes it.

Related tests

The testosterone test covers total testosterone, SHBG, calculated free testosterone and the free androgen index in more depth. The thyroid test is usually read alongside, since thyroid problems can disturb cycles and prolactin. The HbA1c and diabetes test matters whenever PCOS is in question.

Why the numbers mean more over time

Female hormones change by the day, so one set of results is a snapshot. Repeat tests are most useful when they are taken at the same point in the cycle and in the same laboratory. When early menopause is suspected, NICE asks for FSH on two samples 4 to 6 weeks apart rather than one. In PCOS, the guideline sees a limited role for repeating androgen tests once the diagnosis is made, and more value in rechecking blood sugar every 1 to 3 years. Over the years the pattern itself shifts: DHEA-S and testosterone fall with age, and FSH rises after menopause. A change that does not fit those patterns is worth bringing to a doctor, with the results in front of you. Clare is opening with a waitlist at clare.health.