If there's one thing I've learned in practice, it's that guessing gets you nowhere. Symptoms tell a story, but functional testing tells you the plot. These are the five tests I find myself ordering again and again — and why I think they're worth every cent.
- Vaginal Microbiome
For anyone dealing with fertility challenges, recurrent thrush, or bacterial vaginosis, this one is a no-brainer. The vaginal microbiome test gives us a detailed picture of what's actually going on down there — the beneficial bacteria, the opportunistic bacteria, and everything in between.
A healthy vaginal environment is typically dominated by Lactobacillus species, which keep the pH acidic and protective. When that balance shifts, it can contribute to chronic infections, inflammation, and in the context of fertility, even implantation issues. Rather than treating symptoms in circles, this test lets us get specific — whether that's targeted probiotic strains, dietary changes, or working alongside a GP or specialist on antimicrobial support. It's one of those tests that consistently changes the direction of treatment.
- Complete Microbiome Map (Gut)
The gut microbiome is involved in almost everything — immune function, hormone metabolism, nutrient absorption, mood, inflammation. So when a patient comes to me with a complex picture that doesn't quite add up, this is often where I start.
A comprehensive stool analysis goes well beyond a basic test. We're looking at the diversity and balance of bacterial species, the presence of pathogens or parasites, markers of gut inflammation, digestive enzyme function, and intestinal permeability. It helps explain why someone might be eating well but still not absorbing nutrients effectively, or why their hormones remain dysregulated despite doing all the right things. The gut is rarely the only piece of the puzzle, but it's very often a significant one.
- Full Thyroid Panel
A standard TSH from the GP is a good starting point, but it's only one piece of the picture. In clinical practice, I run a full thyroid panel — TSH, free T3, free T4, and thyroid antibodies (TPO and TgAb) at minimum.
Why? Because you can have a TSH sitting within the "normal" range and still have thyroid dysfunction that's affecting energy, metabolism, mood, fertility, and more. Subclinical hypothyroidism, Hashimoto's thyroiditis, and poor T4 to T3 conversion are all things that a TSH alone will miss. Understanding the full thyroid picture means we can support thyroid function nutritionally — with selenium, iodine, zinc, and iron all playing key roles — and identify when someone needs a referral for further medical management.
- Nutrient Bundle: Iron Panel, B12, Folate, Zinc, Copper, and Vitamin D
This is my foundational panel, and I run it on almost everyone at some point. Nutrient deficiencies are far more common than most people realise, and they can drive a surprisingly wide range of symptoms — fatigue, brain fog, poor immunity, low mood, hair loss, slow recovery, and more.
A full iron panel (not just ferritin, but serum iron, transferrin saturation, and TIBC) gives a much more accurate picture of iron status than a simple blood count. B12 and folate are critical for energy, nervous system function, and cell division — particularly important in pregnancy. Zinc and copper need to be assessed together because they work in opposition, and correcting one without awareness of the other can create new imbalances. And vitamin D, which functions more like a hormone than a vitamin, is involved in immune regulation, bone health, mood, and fertility. In New Zealand, deficiency is genuinely widespread, even with our sunshine — particularly through winter.
- Hormone Bundle: FSH, LH, Oestradiol, Progesterone, Testosterone and DHEA
Whether I'm working with someone navigating fertility, irregular cycles, perimenopause, or just trying to understand why they feel terrible in the second half of their cycle, this panel is invaluable.
FSH and LH are pituitary hormones that regulate ovarian function, and their ratio and timing tell us a lot about ovarian reserve, ovulation, and the feedback loop between the brain and the ovaries. Oestradiol gives us a picture of oestrogen production and can flag both deficiency and excess. Progesterone, ideally tested around day 21 of a 28-day cycle, confirms whether ovulation has occurred and whether progesterone output is adequate — something that has huge implications for cycle health, mood, sleep, and fertility.
Testosterone and DHEA helps build up the picture around acne, hair growth, mood, sex drive, and energy.
The key with hormone testing is timing and context. The same hormones can tell a very different story depending on where someone is in their cycle or life stage, which is why I always interpret results alongside a thorough history.
Testing isn't about ticking boxes — it's about getting the information you need to actually help someone. These five panels consistently give me the clearest, most actionable picture of what's going on beneath the surface, and they form the backbone of how I work with complex cases. If you're a patient wondering whether functional testing might be useful for you, it's absolutely worth having a conversation with your practitioner.
