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Estradiol blood test

In short

A typical adult estradiol result is 10 to 180 pg/mL for women (follicular phase (first half)), 100 to 300 pg/mL for women (mid-cycle peak), 40 to 200 pg/mL for women (luteal phase (second half)), under 10 pg/mL for women (after menopause) and 10 to 40 pg/mL for men. In women, a high estradiol most often reflects the time of the cycle, as it peaks before ovulation. Hormone therapy, fertility treatment and pregnancy also raise it. Always read your result against the range printed on your own report.

The main estrogen, a sex hormone made mostly by the ovaries.

Estradiol (E2), the main estrogen, rises and falls through the menstrual cycle and drops after menopause. So in women, a result only makes sense next to the day of the cycle, or whether menopause has happened. In men it stays low and fairly steady.

Is my Estradiol high or low?

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Typical range

ForRangeUnit
Female · follicular phase (first half)10–180pg/mL
Female · mid-cycle peak100–300pg/mL
Female · luteal phase (second half)40–200pg/mL
Female · after menopauseunder 10pg/mL
Male10–40pg/mL
Female · follicular phase (first half)37–661pmol/L
Female · mid-cycle peak367–1101pmol/L
Female · luteal phase (second half)147–734pmol/L
Female · after menopauseunder 37pmol/L
Male37–147pmol/L

Typical ranges for adults. Labs differ a little, so the range printed next to your result is the one to go by.

If your Estradiol is high

In women, a high estradiol most often reflects the time of the cycle, as it peaks before ovulation. Hormone therapy, fertility treatment and pregnancy also raise it.

Common reasons

  • The time of the cycle, especially just before ovulation
  • Hormone therapy for menopause, or fertility treatment
  • Pregnancy, when estradiol rises a lot
  • PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome), a common hormone condition
  • In men, extra body weight or male hormone treatment
  • Less often: a rare hormone-making tumor, for example in an ovary or testicle

If your Estradiol is low

Low estradiol is expected after menopause and just after a period. Before menopause, a low level with missed periods can be a sign of stress, low weight or slowing ovaries.

Common reasons

  • Menopause, or the years leading up to it
  • Blood drawn just after a period, when levels are lowest
  • Birth control pills, which quiet the ovaries
  • Severe stress, very low body weight or very hard training
  • Past chemotherapy or radiation treatment
  • Less often: the ovaries stopping early, or a pituitary (brain gland) problem

What can throw it off

The day of the cycle matters most, and lab methods differ a lot at the low levels seen after menopause and in men.

Questions to take to your appointment

  1. 1Does this result fit the day of my cycle when it was drawn?
  2. 2Does my FSH suggest I am near menopause?
  3. 3Could my birth control or hormone therapy explain this?

Read together with

Doctors rarely read Estradiol alone. These usually sit next to it.

Quick answers

What is the estradiol blood test?

Estradiol: The main estrogen, a sex hormone made mostly by the ovaries. Estradiol (E2), the main estrogen, rises and falls through the menstrual cycle and drops after menopause. So in women, a result only makes sense next to the day of the cycle, or whether menopause has happened. In men it stays low and fairly steady.

What is a normal estradiol level?

For most adults, estradiol is typically 10 to 180 pg/mL for women (follicular phase (first half)), 100 to 300 pg/mL for women (mid-cycle peak), 40 to 200 pg/mL for women (luteal phase (second half)), under 10 pg/mL for women (after menopause) and 10 to 40 pg/mL for men. Some countries print it in pmol/L, so check the unit first. Labs differ a little, so the range printed next to your result is the one to go by.

What does a high estradiol mean?

In women, a high estradiol most often reflects the time of the cycle, as it peaks before ovulation. Hormone therapy, fertility treatment and pregnancy also raise it. Common reasons include the time of the cycle, especially just before ovulation; hormone therapy for menopause, or fertility treatment; pregnancy, when estradiol rises a lot; and PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome), a common hormone condition. A doctor reads it together with your other results and how you feel.

What does a low estradiol mean?

Low estradiol is expected after menopause and just after a period. Before menopause, a low level with missed periods can be a sign of stress, low weight or slowing ovaries. Common reasons include menopause, or the years leading up to it; blood drawn just after a period, when levels are lowest; birth control pills, which quiet the ovaries; and severe stress, very low body weight or very hard training.

What can affect my estradiol result?

The day of the cycle matters most, and lab methods differ a lot at the low levels seen after menopause and in men.

What should I ask my doctor about my estradiol?

Questions worth taking to the appointment: Does this result fit the day of my cycle when it was drawn? Does my FSH suggest I am near menopause? Could my birth control or hormone therapy explain this?

What this page can’t do

It reads each number on its own.

Doctors read results together — ALT with AST, ferritin with hemoglobin, TSH with free T4. A pattern says more than any single flag.

It doesn't know you.

Your age, your medicines, how you feel and your last result all change what a number means.

It doesn't remember.

Close this page and your results are gone. That's on purpose: nothing was ever sent to us.

We also make Vita: Health Coach, an app for those parts. It reads your whole report with your medicines and history in mind, answers follow-up questions in plain words, and keeps your reports in one place — for you and for the people you look after.

Vita: Health Coach on the App Store

Sources

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