Fasting insulin in perimenopause
Rises years before glucose does — the early signal of insulin resistance.
- Panel
- Blood sugar & insulin
- LOINC
- 27873-9 (verified against loinc.org)
- US unit
- uIU/mL
- UK/EU unit
- pmol/L
Why it's on the midlife checklist
The early-warning metabolic lab: insulin rises as the body works harder to control blood sugar, years before glucose itself budges. With fasting glucose it yields HOMA-IR, the calculated insulin-resistance score. Not always ordered by default — often a lab you ask for.
Keeping the record
Log it with the paired fasting glucose from the same draw — the pair is what makes the HOMA-IR conversation possible at your appointment.
Symptoms this lab gets asked about for
Source
- Checklist adapted from the Menopause Empowerment Guide (Dr. Mary Claire Haver) — labs to discuss with your clinician, in addition to standard CBC/CMP.
Perity informs, never prescribes — decisions belong with you and your clinician.
Educational content, written and maintained by Perity (founder: EiEi), grounded in the sources cited on this page. It is not medical advice, and Perity never interprets your data or recommends treatment. Last reviewed 2026-07-09.
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