01
Vogel B, Acevedo M, Appelman Y, et al. (2021)
The Lancet women and cardiovascular disease Commission: reducing the global burden by 2030
The Lancet, 397(10292): 2385–2438
Cardiovascular
01 - The gap
The numbers that made
us start this company.
01 / 04
23
%
Of cardiovascular trial participants are women
Despite heart disease being the leading cause of death for American women.
SourceJAMA Cardiology, 2022
02 / 04
9
yrs
Average delay to an endometriosis diagnosis
One in ten women will have it. Few will be diagnosed in time.
SourceAmerican Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology, 2023
03 / 04
70
%
Of chronic pain patients are women
Yet 80% of pain research has been conducted on male subjects.
SourceNature Reviews Neuroscience, 2021
04 / 04
1 IN 3
Women over 40 have a thyroid condition
Most will go undiagnosed because standard TSH ranges miss them.
SourceJournal of Clinical Endocrinology, 2024
02 - Reference ranges
"In range"
for whom, exactly?
A reference range is a statistical statement: 95% of a population falls between these numbers. But which population matters enormously. Your results are reported against the standard CLIA lab range - we surface the peer-reviewed research on what's optimal for women, stratified by cycle phase and life stage, so "in range" isn't the end of the story.
TSH
mIU/L
Standard range was set on a mixed population. Published guidelines suggest optimal thyroid function in women - particularly those trying to conceive - sits much lower.1,2
- 1.Alexander EK, Pearce EN, Brent GA, et al. (2017). Thyroid, 27(3): 315–3892017 ATA Guidelines - preconception TSH target <2.5 mIU/L
- 2.Korevaar TIM, Medici M, Visser TJ, Peeters RP. (2017). Nature Reviews Endocrinology, 13(10): 610–622
Standard lab range
Reported on every result
0.4–4.5
◆ 2.5 Research-backed optimal
0.44.5
Ferritin
ng/mL
The textbook lower bound of 10 ng/mL is based on 'not anemic.' Studies show women with ferritin below 50 ng/mL commonly report fatigue, hair loss, and restless legs.1,2
- 1.Vaucher P, Druais PL, Waldvogel S, Favrat B. (2012). CMAJ, 184(11): 1247–1254Iron supplementation reduced fatigue in non-anemic women with ferritin <50
- 2.Rushton DH. (2002). Clinical & Experimental Dermatology, 27(5): 396–404
Standard lab range
Reported on every result
10–200
◆ 50 Research-backed optimal
10200
Vitamin D
nmol/L
Levels associated with bone health in post-menopausal women, in the published literature, are meaningfully higher than the legacy sufficiency floor.1,2
- 1.Holick MF, Binkley NC, Bischoff-Ferrari HA, et al. (2011). J Clin Endocrinol Metab, 96(7): 1911–1930Endocrine Society Clinical Practice Guideline
- 2.Bischoff-Ferrari HA, Willett WC, Orav EJ, et al. (2012). New England Journal of Medicine, 367(1): 40–49
Standard lab range
Reported on every result
30–125
◆ 60 Research-backed optimal
30125
Estradiol (luteal)
pg/mL
Generic 'female' ranges collapse three different hormonal states into one. Published phase-specific ranges give a much clearer read on a cycling woman's labs.1
- 1.Stricker R, Eberhart R, Chevailler MC, et al. (2006). Clin Chem Lab Med, 44(7): 883–887Phase-specific reference intervals for estradiol, LH, FSH, progesterone
Standard lab range
Reported on every result
30–400
◆ 100 Research-backed optimal
30400
03 - Validation
How a biomarker
earns its place in a panel.
Six steps, from clinical question to quarterly revalidation. Every marker in every panel has been through all of them.
01
Clinical question first
Symptom → hypothesis
Every panel starts with a specific symptom pattern women report. We don't build panels from a price list of available assays - we build them from the questions a 34-year-old with fatigue actually needs answered.
02
Literature & meta-analysis
Evidence grading A–D
Our medical team reviews the published evidence. We look for assays with peer-reviewed support for female-specific clinical utility - and flag the ones where the data is still thin.
03
Assay selection & validation
CV < 8% on ultrasensitive assays
Every assay runs through Quest Diagnostics - CLIA/CAP-accredited and the largest clinical lab network in the U.S. For sensitive markers (estradiol, testosterone) we use the ultrasensitive LC/MS methods Quest validates for low-concentration female ranges.
04
Female-specific literature review
Peer-reviewed, cited
For every biomarker we include, our medical team pulls the peer-reviewed research on what's optimal for women - by age, cycle phase, and life stage. Results ship with that context alongside the standard lab range, not in place of it.
05
Physician panel sign-off
3-physician consensus
Before a panel goes live, three board-certified physicians sign off on its design: which biomarkers are included, which cycle day is used, and which reference ranges trigger a flag on the report.
06
Continuous literature review
Refreshed every 6 mo
Every six months our medical team re-reads the evidence base. Biomarkers with weakening support get retired from panels. New peer-reviewed research gets folded into the educational context women see alongside their results.
04 - The evidence
Every claim, sourced.
Papers that shaped how we think about women's diagnostics - and the ones we keep returning to when building new panels.
Full bibliography of 240+ papers available at elladx.com/research · Last updated Q1 2026