I recently was diagnosed with ovarian failure at age 37. My OB/GYN is running tests to try to determine why this is happening. Meanwhile, my GP had a "sed rate" test run. I received a note from her office through the mail saying that my results were normal for me, but I got a copy of the lab results, which said my sed rate was "45+ abnormal." I do not understand what this test indicates or what it means in regard to my health. Can you give me any insight?

--Evelyn

The sed rate, or sedimentation rate, measures how fast red blood cells fall through a specific medium. An elevated sed rate, meaning the red blood cells fall faster, is associated with inflammation or infection. Sed rates are increased in bacterial infection as well as conditions such as arthritis. The normal range depends on the method used, so values must be interpreted in light of a particular lab's normal range.

Talk to your OB/GYN about your elevated sed rate. It may be a clue to an autoimmune disease. Premature ovarian failure may be associated with autoimmune conditions such as lupus and autoimmune thyroiditis, and the sed rate may also be elevated in these conditions. If a sed rate normalizes with time or treatment, it usually means the disease process is less active.