How to talk to your doctor about expanded lab panels

These tests can reveal hidden aspects of your health, allowing you and your provider to create a personalized plan, but only if you know how to ask the right questions about your results.

WRITTEN BY

Gretchen Lidicker

Updated: 11/04/2025|10 min read

The standard blood work that many of us have done during an annual physical is a good starting point for checking our health status. But if you want deeper insights—and, ideally, the chance to head off problems your parents or other relatives faced—you may want more than the typical comprehensive blood count and metabolic panel.

Expanded lab panels offer details about critical aspects of your health, such as your hormone levels, immune function, and inflammatory markers. This additional data can help you catch potential problems before they snowball into bigger issues, like metabolic syndrome, thyroid issues, or vitamin and mineral deficiencies.

However, in order to get these tests, you may need to see a functional medicine doctor or use a direct-access lab like Labcorp or Quest, or a company like Levels—and you may have to pay out of pocket. Primary care doctors can be hesitant to order additional tests without the presence of symptoms, and insurance doesn’t typically cover screenings unless they’re deemed “medically necessary.”

It’s also important to remember that the results can be overwhelming with so many markers—many of which you may never have heard of. When testing a wide array of markers at once, it’s crucial not to over-index on any one result and to consult a physician about any out-of-range results to learn what they might mean in your specific context, and what to do next.

To that end, here are questions to ask your doctor about any out-of-range results so you can work with them to create an actionable plan—even if they didn’t order the tests.

This information is only for educational purposes and does not constitute medical advice. Your doctor knows you best; talk to them about your personal lab results.

What is an expanded lab panel?

An "expanded lab panel" simply refers to measuring a wider range of blood tests than a basic or routine panel, providing a more comprehensive assessment of your health.

If you get a yearly physical with your general practitioner, it most likely includes a set of routine blood tests. These are typically covered by insurance as part of preventative care or because they’re used to diagnose or monitor a health condition. The exact tests run can vary depending on the practitioner and your health history, but the most common ones include:

• Complete blood count: A CBC measures the levels of red and white blood cells, platelets, hemoglobin, hematocrit, and more to understand how your blood is working and check for problems like infections, anemia, and blood clotting issues.
• Basic or comprehensive metabolic panel (BMP or CMP): A BMP measures blood sugar, kidney function, and electrolytes, while a CMP measures all of that plus liver enzymes. These tests help your doctor monitor your metabolism and detect issues like diabetes, kidney disease, or liver problems.
• Lipid panel: Also called a cholesterol panel, this measures the levels of fats (or lipids) in your blood, including total cholesterol, LDL, HDL, and triglycerides. A lipid panel can help assess your heart health and identify any needs for lifestyle changes or medication.
• Thyroid-stimulating hormone: The level of TSH in your blood can indicate how well your brain is regulating your thyroid, which helps control energy levels, metabolism, body temperature, and heart rate.
• Urinalysis: This test screens your urine for signs of infection and measures substances like glucose and protein to identify kidney problems, urinary tract infections, diabetes, and other issues.

What tests are included in an expanded lab panel?

The specific lab panels you might request or get depend on your concerns and health history, or where you’re getting your panel. For example, if you’re experiencing fatigue or brain fog, you may want more detailed vitamin tests to identify a potential nutrient deficiency. Or if you have a family history of thyroid disease, you may want a more detailed thyroid test to identify possible early signs of dysfunction.

Providers often group several panel categories together into one bundle, including

• Inflammatory markers
• Metabolic health and blood sugar
• Hormonal health
• Autoimmune and immune function
• Thyroid function
• Nutrient deficiencies

Providers like Levels or Function Health group several of these expanded tests into one large 100+ marker panel.

What to do with your results

If the results of any tests you do are out of range, talk to a trusted medical provider. A single low or high marker isn’t necessarily a sign of a problem, and needs to be interpreted in the context of your overall health.

The suggested questions below can help you talk to your doctor and decide the next steps, including retesting or lifestyle changes.

Inflammatory markers

What this panel includes: This blood test checks markers of inflammation in the body, such as CRP (a protein made by the liver), homocysteine (an amino acid in the blood that's linked to heart disease and nutrient deficiencies), and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR, which tests how quickly red blood cells settle to the bottom of a test tube in an hour—a marker of inflammation).

Why test? These tests help detect chronic inflammation, which is linked to chronic diseases, including autoimmune conditions, cardiovascular disease, and cancers. High levels of these markers may be a sign that you could benefit from lifestyle changes that reduce inflammation.

Questions to ask your doctor about your results:

• What might be causing my elevated markers? Could it be infection, injury, autoimmune activity, lifestyle factors, or something else?
• Could any of my current medications, supplements, or health conditions affect these results?
• Do I need follow-up tests to pinpoint the cause?
• Do I need treatment now, or should we monitor and retest later?
• What lifestyle or dietary changes could help bring my levels back to normal?
• How often should I repeat this test to track changes?

Metabolic health and blood sugar

What this panel includes: This set of tests often measures hemoglobin A1c (which reflects average blood sugar over the last ~3 months), fasting insulin (the level of insulin in your blood after fasting overnight), and C-peptide (which reflects how well your body produces insulin).

Why test? Evaluating your blood sugar control and insulin production can indicate early signs of prediabetes, Type 2 diabetes, insulin resistance, and pancreatic function.

Questions to ask your doctor about your results:

• Could anything (like medications, stress, lifestyle factors, or a recent illness) have affected my test results?
• How far outside the normal range are my results?
• How do my A1c, fasting insulin, and C peptide results relate to each other? Are they telling a consistent story?
• Do these results indicate prediabetes, insulin resistance, or diabetes?
• Are these numbers a sign of early disease or something that’s been progressing for a while?
• When should we retest, and what action steps (if any) would you recommend in the meantime?
• What changes to my diet or lifestyle can support healthier levels?

Hormonal health

What this panel includes: A female hormone panel often tests estradiol, progesterone, follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA-S), Anti-Müllerian Hormone (AMH), and testosterone levels. A male hormone panel typically measures testosterone levels and may also include sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG), estradiol, FSH, and LH.

Why test? Under current medical guidance, hormone testing is typically only recommended when a person has symptoms that could be hormone-related (such as erectile dysfunction) or a diagnosed hormonal disorder (such as polycystic ovary syndrome or PCOS). Some doctors—especially functional medicine providers—order hormone tests as part of a regular workup because many hormone disorders are underdiagnosed and hormones affect many aspects of health, including growth and development, metabolism, and reproduction.

Questions to ask your doctor about your results:

• What do these abnormal hormone levels mean?
• How could my lifestage or medications like the birth control pill be affecting these results?
• Could stress or the timing of the test have influenced my results?
• Could these results explain my symptoms or indicate an underlying condition such as thyroid issues, PCOS, or adrenal imbalance?
• Do I need any follow-up tests or a referral to an endocrinologist to better understand this?
• Can this be improved through lifestyle changes, or do I need medication or hormone therapy?
• What natural approaches (diet, sleep, stress reduction) are most effective for rebalancing this hormone?
• How often should I re-test, and what are we looking for in future labs?

Autoimmune and immune function

What this panel includes: Blood tests for immunity may vary depending on your specific concerns, any symptoms you might have, and family history. These tests often measure factors like antinuclear antibody (ANA, which identifies antibodies that attack cell nuclei), rheumatoid factor (RF, an antibody often present in autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis), anti-CCP (antibodies targeting cyclic citrullinated peptides, which are strongly associated with rheumatoid arthritis), and immunoglobulins such as IgA, IgG, and IgM (different types of antibodies involved in immune response).

Why test? Some tests are specific to common autoimmune diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis, which have a genetic component. Other tests, like those measuring white blood cells, can reveal whether your immune system is overactive or if you have chronic inflammation (a potential sign of immune dysfunction).

Questions to ask your doctor about your results:

• What do these results indicate about my immune system or any possible autoimmune condition?
• Could factors such as infections, medications, or temporary conditions have caused these abnormal results?
• How do these results relate to my symptoms or overall health? Could they explain what I’ve been experiencing?
• Are these results definitive for a diagnosis, or do I need more tests or clinical correlation to confirm?
• Should I make an appointment with a specialist? What type of specialist do you suggest?
• If an autoimmune or immune disorder is diagnosed, what lifestyle changes or treatment options may help?
• How will we monitor these markers over time?
• What should I watch for in terms of symptoms or changes?

Thyroid function

What this panel includes: In addition to TSH, a full thyroid panel typically includes free T3 (triiodothyronine), free T4 (thyroxine), reverse triiodothyronine (rT3), and thyroid antibodies (such as TPOAb and TgAb).

Why test? Though measuring TSH tells you how the pituitary gland in the brain is responding to thyroid hormone levels, it doesn’t measure actual levels of thyroid hormones (T3 and T4) in your body. Though rare, you can have normal TSH and low or high T3 and T4 or elevated thyroid antibodies, but only an expanded thyroid test can reveal any of these circumstances. This panel also sheds light on how well your body is converting T4 to T3, the more “active” hormone that binds to thyroid receptors, triggering cellular responses. Testing for TSH alone can also cause you to miss earlier signs of autoimmune thyroid disease, which will show up with elevated antibody levels but sometimes normal TSH levels.

Questions to ask your doctor about your results:

• What do my levels mean for my thyroid function? Do I have hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism, or an autoimmune thyroid condition?
• Could my symptoms be related to these results?
• Could my results be explained by any lifestyle factors, such as smoking, diet, or stress?
• What lifestyle changes might help improve my thyroid levels? Or do I need medication? What are my options?
• How often should I repeat thyroid tests to track my condition and treatment effectiveness?
• Are there any complications or other health issues I should watch for related to this thyroid disorder?

Nutrient deficiencies

What this panel includes: An expanded test for vitamin levels includes micronutrients that may not be included in annual blood work, including vitamin D, vitamin B12, folate, magnesium, and an iron panel (which includes ferritin, iron, total iron binding capacity or TIBC, and transferrin saturation).

Why test? Vitamins and minerals play a role in most bodily functions, contributing to everything from mood and metabolism to hormone production and immune regulation. The standard American diet can lack key nutrients, leaving us vulnerable to deficiencies. Though accurate population-wide estimates are difficult to obtain, data suggest many people have deficiencies in at least some micronutrients.

Questions to ask your doctor about your results:

• Is this a vitamin or mineral that can be accurately measured through a blood test?
• What are the most common causes for these deficiencies or excesses?
• Could these nutrient imbalances be causing or contributing to any symptoms I’ve described?
• What dietary changes, supplements, or treatments do you recommend to correct these imbalances?
• Are there any potential risks or side effects from correcting these deficiencies, such as supplement interactions or overdosing?
• How often should I retest these nutrient levels to ensure improvement or stability?
• How long will it typically take to restore my nutrient levels to normal?
• Should we investigate underlying conditions, such as absorption issues or chronic diseases, that might be causing these nutrient abnormalities?

Do you need expanded lab panels?

Unless you have symptoms or repeated out-of-range results on a CBC or CMP, you likely don’t need extended lab panels. But, if you’re looking to learn as much as possible about your overall health and have a trusted medical provider to discuss the results with, these tests can be a valuable source of data. These tests can offer specific data revealing an increased risk of various health problems. If any results come back as abnormal, have a discussion with a medical provider who’s trained in preventive medicine. Whether that’s an MD, DO, or credentialed functional medicine provider, they can help you interpret the findings and your next steps.

Get your expanded panel and clinician review of your results

Levels members can test dozens of markers through Levels Labs, with expert analysis and personalized guidance from a clinician, and then use the Levels app to help improve levels by logging meals and setting exercise goals. Click here to learn more about Levels.