Do I really need bloodwork every 3 months? It is expensive — November 2025

TrialTracker_MD said:

Quarterly for the first year is convention rather than evidence, and it is defensible for a simple reason: it is roughly the interval over which HbA1c…

This is where I part company with the consensus forming above. I would drop the "get everything" instinct further than this thread does. Every extra test is another chance at a false positive, and incidental findings have their own cost in scans, biopsies and worry.

FranDenver said:

My prescriber ordered three tests and this board recommends about twenty, and I would like to know which of those two lists is right.

Shot day Monday report relevant to baseline bloodwork:

Week 43. Currently on 1.0mg. Down 19 lbs from starting weight of 231 lbs.

This week's observations: Appetite very well controlled, no cravings.

Labs due next week — looking forward to seeing the metabolic panel. I'll post results in the Lab Results section when they come in.

Dr.NateNeph said:

I would drop the "get everything" instinct further than this thread does.

PSA: get baseline labs BEFORE starting baseline bloodwork therapy. You need a "before" picture to measure progress. My recommended pre-treatment panel:

1. CMP + A1C + fasting insulin
2. Complete lipid panel with particle count if possible
3. hsCRP, ferritin, B12, vitamin D
4. Thyroid panel (TSH + free T4)
5. CBC with differential
6. Liver panel (ALT, AST, GGT)
7. DEXA scan or body composition

Total cost at Quest without insurance: ~$200. Worth every penny for the data.

One thing that is still open after CanadaChris’s answer:

How often to repeat it, because quarterly seems to be the convention and I cannot find the reasoning?

OP back with an update, since a thread like this is useless without one.

Took the whole panel in rather than the one flagged line, and the conversation lasted two minutes instead of generating three more tests.