Hormone Testing

Hormone imbalances can have a wide variety of symptoms and can be notoriously difficult to diagnose. Many people struggle with vague and diverse health issues before they are diagnosed, and many more struggle to find the treatment regimen that is most appropriate for their needs.

Your hormones are designed to work closely together to keep your body in perfect harmony. If even one hormone level is off, your entire body can suffer from the effects. Identifying the abnormalities can be the first step towards balance and improved health. With proper treatment, symptoms can be managed and controlled.

We offer a range of tests that can help spot hormonal imbalances, including:

• Saliva testing
  A fast and easy option for you, saliva testing is inexpensive and extremely accurate for identifying the levels of bioavailable steroid hormones in your system.
• Capillary blood spot testing
  Venous blood draws in the doctor’s office or laboratory can be invasive and uncomfortable. Capillary blood spot testing offers an easy and accurate alternative.
• Combination saliva and capillary blood spot tests
  This convenient all-in-one test kit makes it easy for you to collect essential information about your adrenal, reproductive and thyroid hormones from the comfort of your own home.
• Female fertility profiles I and II
  Infertility can be related to either physical or hormonal issues. If a woman has no sign of tubal damage or other physical abnormalities that are interfering with her ability to conceive, female fertility profiles can be used to identify luteal phase defects, ovarian insufficiency, polycystic ovarian syndrome, excessive stress or thyroid deficiency. These conditions are often considered highly treatable.
• Cardiometabolic Risk Profile in Blood Spot
  Metabolic syndrome, insulin resistance and other conditions can be more easily treated when identified early, which also helps reduce the risk of future complications.

Many patients appreciate the ease and affordability of saliva testing, which can be performed at your convenience in the privacy of your own home. Saliva contains critical indicators about the levels of bioavailable hormones that are in your bloodstream. Bioavailability refers to the ability of hormones to function properly in the skin, brain, uterus and breasts.

Traditional blood draws may be inadequate for collecting certain types of information and may be difficult to perform at specific times or under specific situations. Because the hormones that are located in saliva tend to be more stable and can be stored up to a week without degrading the sample’s accuracy, saliva tests offer more flexibility not just in the collection process but also during shipment. Saliva testing can be used to identify progesterone, estradiol, testosterone, cortisol and DHEA.

Blood spot testing can also offer patients more flexibility. Instead of requiring a traditional blood draw, which can be uncomfortable and inconvenient, blood spot testing requires just a simple finger prick. Multiple tests can be performed on a single sample, and results are similar to those tests performed on serum. More affordable and easier to perform than traditional blood draws, blood spot testing can be performed at specific times for greater accuracy in HRT dosing, fasting hormone levels and diurnal hormone testing. Blood spot testing can identify levels of thyroxine, triiodothyronine, thyroid stimulating hormone, thyroid peroxidase antibodies, total testosterone, sex hormone binding globulin, prostate specific antigen, estradiol, progesterone and insulin-like growth factor.

When these two tests are combined, we are able to achieve greater accuracy and a more complete picture of your three systems.