MCH stands for “Mean Corpuscular Hemoglobin” and is a measure of how much hemoglobin is inside the red blood cells. The red blood cells have the task of binding oxygen molecules from the inhaled air in the lungs and transporting the oxygen to all parts of the body. A majority of this oxygen is bound to the hemoglobin molecules found inside the red blood cells.
Erythrocyte volume fraction (EVF), also called hematocrit, indicates how much of the blood volume is made up of red blood cells. The red blood cells have the task of binding oxygen molecules from the inhaled air in the lungs and transporting the oxygen out to all parts of the body, as well as returning carbon dioxide back to the lungs for exhalation.
Hemoglobin (Hb) is also usually called the blood value. Hemoglobin is found inside the red blood cells (erythrocytes) and is the protein that binds oxygen molecules from the inhaled air in the lungs so that the red blood cells can then transport the oxygen to all parts of the body. Hemoglobin also contributes to the red blood cells maintaining their correct shape so that they can flow as well as possible through the blood vessels.
MCV is an abbreviation for “Mean Corpuscular Volume” and is a measure of the size of the red blood cells. The red blood cells have the task of binding oxygen molecules from the inhaled air in the lungs and transporting the oxygen to all parts of the body. A majority of this oxygen is bound to the hemoglobin molecules found inside the red blood cells.
Erythrocytes (EPK) measure the number of red blood cells per liter of blood and are thus a measure of the concentration of the red blood cells in the blood. The red blood cells have the task of binding oxygen molecules from the inhaled air in the lungs and transporting the oxygen out to all parts of the body, as well as returning carbon dioxide back to the lungs for exhalation.
Thrombocytes (TPK) are also called platelets. The platelets are important for blood coagulation (clotting ability), which has the task of stopping bleeding in the event of, for example, a wound by clumping together and forming a plug over the wound. They are also important for other parts of the body’s coagulation system.
Leukocytes (LPK) is a test taken to check the number of white blood cells in the blood. The white blood cells are important for the body’s immune system and have the task of defending us against attacks from microorganisms such as bacteria or viruses.
TSH is a hormone produced by the pituitary gland. TSH stimulates the thyroid gland to release the hormones thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3), which participate in regulating the body’s metabolism.
AMH, short for Anti Müllerian Hormone, is a hormone produced in the woman’s ovaries in the follicles that are there. By measuring the level of this hormone in the blood, you can get an idea of how big a woman’s egg reserve is and with that get a picture of how far she has left until menopause and how big her chances of getting pregnant are. Measurement of AMH in men has no clinical significance.
Follicle-stimulating hormone, or FSH as it is abbreviated, is of great importance to our ability to reproduce and is needed for the formation of our gametes. In men, the hormone is needed for the production of sperm. In women, the FSH level varies based on the menstrual cycle, but in men the level is instead constant.
LH, luteinizing hormone, is a hormone that is formed in the pituitary gland and is of great importance for fertility in both women and men. In men, LH stimulates testosterone production in the testicles. In women, LH levels vary based on the menstrual cycle, while the level in men is more constant.
Prolactin is a hormone produced in the pituitary gland of the brain. Its most well-known task is to stimulate breast milk production in connection with pregnancy in women. However, prolactin is also involved in the body’s metabolism of fat, regulation of the body’s fluid balance, immune defense and our mental health.
The thyroid gland produces the hormones thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3), which are important for our metabolism. Thyroxine (T4) is a fairly inactive hormone and must be converted to the significantly more active hormone triiodothyronine (T3) in order to have an effect on our metabolism. This sometimes happens in the liver and kidney. Almost all of the thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3) in the blood is bound to protein substances, but it is only the hormones that are free in the blood that have an effect on our metabolism. For that reason, it is the amount of free hormone that is measured during sampling. Levaxin (or Euthyrox), which many people get prescribed by their doctor for hypothyroidism, is a synthetic variant of T4 that aims to normalize levels of T4 in the body when one does not produce enough T4 from the thyroid gland.
Estrogen is a sex hormone that is produced in several different places in the body and has an effect on many different organs and tissues, in both women and men. The hormone has great importance for the strength of our skeleton, positive effect on learning and memory, protective effect on our cardiovascular system, control of our metabolism and affects our immune system. In women, estrogen is also important for the development and function of the reproductive system.
Estrogen occurs in several different forms in the body, of which the three most common are estradiol, estrone and estriol. Estradiol is considered to be the most important of these and it is also this hormone that is measured during sampling. In women, most of this hormone is produced in the ovaries. Smaller amounts of estradiol are also formed in the adrenal gland, in adipose tissue and, in men, in the testicles. In fertile women, these levels vary with the menstrual cycle. Sampling for estradiol should be supplemented with analysis of the pituitary hormone follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) as these hormones regulate each other and both vary during the menstrual cycle.
