There are many ways to assess hormone levels. Having blood tests ordered by your GP or myself is one way, and blood tests give one type of information. Other ways of assessing hormone levels are via saliva or urine.
Saliva
Saliva hormone testing is an accurate, non-invasive and clinically useful way of measuring hormones to identify existing excesses or deficiencies. Once a hormone imbalance has been identified, nutritional or bio-identical hormone therapy may be indicated.
- adrenal function - measures cortisol 4 times in one day along with DHEAS in the a.m.
- female panel - measures estradiol, progesterone, testosterone, DHEAS and cortisol; (at times I may also test for estriol)
- male panel - measures DHEAS, testosterone, cortisol and estradiol
Urine
To get the best picture of overall steroid hormone production, or to see how supplemented hormones are being broken down by the body, a urine steroid hormone profile is the best choice.
A urine steroid hormone profile measures hormones and hormone metabolites in a dried urine sample that is collected 4 separate times over the course of 24 hours. Measuring both hormones and their metabolites can give a better overall picture of hormone production.
- adrenal function and metabolites - measures free cortisol, cortisone pattern, cortisol metabolites (a-THF, b-THF), cortisone metabolites (b-THE) and DHEAS
- sex hormone function and metabolites - estrogen metabolites (E1, E2, E3, 2-OH -E1, 2-OH-E2, 4-OH-E1, 16-OH-E1, 2-Methoxy-E1), androgen metabolism (testosterone, DHEAS, androsterone, etiocholanolone, 5a-DHT, 5a-Androstanediol, 5b-Androstanediol, epi-testosterone), progesterone metabolism (b-pregnanediol, a-pregnanediol)
- complete steroid hormone profile - adrenal + sex hormone function & melatonin