Women’s Health

Hormone Testing

Saliva Testing

Saliva testing is a convenient, inexpensive, and above all, accurate means of testing steroid hormones. Scientific studies have shown a strong correlation between steroid hormone levels in saliva and the amount of hormone in the blood that is active or "bioavailable" and therefore free to enter the target tissues in the brain, uterus, skin, and breasts.
Saliva testing can be done anywhere anytime. Testing that relies on blood drawn in the doctor's office makes it harder to obtain samples at specific times (such as in the early morning) or multiple times during the day. In addition, hormones in saliva are exceptionally stable and can be stored at room temperature for up to a week without affecting the accuracy of the result. This offers maximum flexibility in sample collection and shipment.

Hormones that can be tested in saliva include:
• Estradiol (E2)
• Estrone
• Estriol
• Progesterone (Pg)
• Testosterone (T)
• DHEA-S (Ds)
• Cortisol (C)

Blood Spot Testing

Blood Spot is the future of blood testing. The process requires only blood from a nearly painless finger prick and several tests can be run from a single sample. Blood Spot testing provides results on a par with those from serum tests but without the cost and inconvenience of conventional blood drawing. And because hormone samples can be conveniently collected at home, collection times can be optimized for fasting baseline hormone levels and assessment of HRT dosing and diurnal hormone testing.

Blood Spot testing measures hormones and related substances in whole, capillary blood.

Hormones that can be tested in blood spot include:
• Estradiol (E2)
• Progesterone (Pg)
• Testosterone, total (T)
• DHEA-S
• Cortisol
• Vitamin D, 25-OH, Total
• Somatomedin C (IGF-1)
• Luteinizing Hormone (LH)
• Luteinizing Hormone (LH)
• Follicle-stimulating Hormone (FSH)
• Free Thyroxine (fT4)
• Free Triiodothyronine (T3)
• Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH)
• Thyroid Peroxidase Antibodies (TPO)
• Sex Hormone Binding Globulin (SHBG)
• Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA)
• Fasting Insulin

Combo Kits combine both saliva and blood spot test collection materials in an all-in-one kit, allowing for a single, comprehensive report.

Female Fertility Profiles I and II

If there is no physical reason for infertility such as tubal damage, many of the different causes of female infertility can be related to hormonal issues. These include ovarian insufficiency, luteal phase deficiency, polycystic ovarian syndrome, thyroid deficiency, and stress. This simple test can identify potentially correctable hormone imbalances and move couples further towards their goals of achieving pregnancy.

CardioMetabolic Risk Profile in Blood Spot
(now includes total and LDL cholesterol). Cardiometabolic risk includes disorders related to obesity and insulin resistance, which can lead to Type 2 diabetes and/or heart disease.