laura_annarbor said:

HbA1c reflects roughly three months of average glycaemia weighted toward the most recent weeks, which is why repeating it at six weeks tells you very…

Fasting insulin is the lab my functional medicine doctor cares about most for glycaemic control: it's a much earlier marker of metabolic dysfunction than glucose or A1C.

My fasting insulin: 27 → 13 → 5 uIU/mL over 9 months. Target is <7. By the time your fasting glucose is elevated, your insulin has been elevated for YEARS trying to compensate.

Ask your doctor to include fasting insulin in your bloodwork panel. It's cheap (~$20) and incredibly informative.

A narrower follow-up, since the general answer is now clear:

Did your prescriber agree with that reading, and if not what was their objection?

Dr.AddMedPHL said:

Fasting insulin is the lab my functional medicine doctor cares about most for glycaemic control: it's a much earlier marker of metabolic dysfunction…

PCOS success story with glycaemic control: as someone with polycystic ovary syndrome, this medication has been transformative beyond weight loss.

After 7 months: periods became regular for the first time in years, testosterone levels normalized, acne cleared significantly, and — unexpectedly — I got pregnant naturally after 4 years of trying.

GLP-1 agonists address the insulin resistance at the root of PCOS. For PCOS patients, this isn't "just" a weight loss drug — it's treating our underlying metabolic dysfunction.

Dr.AddMedPHL said:

Fasting insulin is the lab my functional medicine doctor cares about most for glycaemic control: it's a much earlier marker of metabolic dysfunction…

Complete metabolic panel trending on glycaemic control — sharing because comprehensive data helps everyone:

The insulin resistance improvement (HOMA-IR) is what my endo focuses on most. Going from 5.5 to near 1.0 is a metabolic transformation.

rachel_ABQ said:

PCOS success story with glycaemic control: as someone with polycystic ovary syndrome, this medication has been transformative beyond weight loss.

My labs after 9 months on glycaemic control: A1C 5.7%, fasting glucose 77 mg/dL, fasting insulin 8 uIU/mL. My endo says these are "textbook perfect."

For context, my baseline A1C was 6.9% and fasting glucose was 132 mg/dL. The improvement has been dramatic and consistent.