I probably only have had to have labs once a year because I have a fairly mild case. It's still something I have to watch out for, but aside from meds it doesn't interefere with my daily life too often. I'm an inch or two shorter than I maybe would have been, but my levels always seemed to be pretty good, so I don't know if more frequent labs would have made a difference or not. I'll ask my endo this summer if once a year is his standard practice or if he changes it from person to person. Peg, thank you for that information, although I'm still not convinced there really is a hormonal surge. I have yet to have a blood test before 10:30 or 11:00 in the morning and my levels are usually pretty good. Have a nice weekend, everyone!