If you’re concerned about hormonal imbalance you probably have thought about testing your hormones. But with all the testing options out there, which test is best?
Today I’ll explain some of the testing options available and which I would recommend for the hormones we’ve been discussing over the past month for the Know Your Hormones series.
What to expect in this video:
0:26 Estrogen testing
0:34 Blood hormone testing benefits
1:05 Salivary hormone testing benefits
1:18 Urine hormone testing benefits
2:04 Estrogen testing for fertility
2:27 Insulin testing
3:15 Cortisol testing
3:40 How normal cortisol levels should change throughout the day
4:46 Thyroid hormone testing
https://youtu.be/yaRPobpPWE4
Estrogen
Estrogen is a steroid hormone, meaning it’s made using cholesterol as the main building block.
For fertility, measuring blood (also known as serum) levels of estradiol (the most potent of the 3 estrogens in our body), on day 3 of your menstrual cycle can provide helpful information.
To screen for basic hormonal concerns, measurement of serum estradiol at any time can provide basic information that can be helpful as long as it’s interpreted in the ranges given for the correct time of your menstrual cycle (assuming woman is still having her periods, otherwise they need to be interpreted in the post-menopausal range).
However, blood measurements of estrogen don’t give as accurate a measure of the amount of estrogen that is bioavailable – meaning the amount of estrogen that can actually be available and therefore active at the tissues (where we want estrogen to go).
For this, salivary hormone testing can provide a better measure of bioavailable hormones – that is free, unbound hormones. For steroid hormones, salivary testing can provide more accurate information of the level of hormones that are actually available to be used by the tissues (meaning where they can actually have the effect we want them to have).
Another important factor to consider as I’ve discussed in previous articles is estrogen dominance. If we want to understand why estrogen dominance is happening another testing option is urine testing – specifically the DUTCH test which can provide information about the breakdown products (known as metabolites) of estrogen, including how well the body is able to detoxify from estrogen.
Insulin
Insulin testing is best done through blood tests. While you can test insulin, remember that what we want insulin to do is help us balance our blood sugars well. So while a blood test for fasting insulin is helpful, it is also important to test for fasting glucose and hemoglobin A1C (both blood tests) to gain a more complete understanding of our risk for blood sugar imbalances including hypoglycemia, pre-diabetes or diabetes.
Cortisol
Cortisol testing can be done through blood – and it’s often done first thing in the morning when cortisol should be the highest. But this doesn’t tell us the whole story about cortisol. Also, since many people are anxious about getting blood taken, cortisol may be falsely elevated when measured this way.
Salivary testing allows for easy collection & therefore measurement of cortisol (also a steroid hormone) throughout the day. This is important because cortisol is normally made & released in a very specific way, producing an expected pattern for healthy adrenal gland function.
Cortisol should be highest in the morning when we wake up, gradually decreasing to the noon hour, then further decreasing to the early evening at 5 PM, with its lowest levels of the day being in the night time before you sleep. This pattern is often called the 4-point cortisol curve.
If we also want to know more about the metabolism or break down of cortisol in the body then we may want to consider urine testing for cortisol and the DUTCH test can provide information on the metabolites or break down products of cortisol, in addition to more complete information of the total amount of cortisol produced throughout the day.
Thyroid Hormones (T3 & T4)
Thyroid hormone levels (T3 & T4) are best analyzed through blood testing.
However, it’s often only TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone, which is made by the brain), that is measured as a screening test for thyroid dysfunction, by many conventional doctors.
In my experience working with women with under-functioning thyroid function (hypothyroidism & Hashimoto’s thyroiditis), to get a more complete understanding of thyroid function, it’s important to do a more comprehensive thyroid panel which includes TSH, T3, T4, anti-TPO antibodies and reverse T3 when necessary. If you want to know more about the complete thyroid panel especially with its relation to fertility health watch this video.
Final Thoughts
As you can see, when it comes to hormone testing – there isn’t a one-size fits all approach. With the right test results, analyzed with respect to your health concerns and symptoms, we’re better able to provide the most personalized & effective naturopathic care for you to help balance your hormones and get you feeling like your Self again.
I hope you’ve found this Know Your Hormones series helpful in starting to understand your own hormone balance and that it’s encouraged you to work with a healthcare professional well versed in hormones to help you take charge of your health.
What do YOU want to know more about?
Thank you so much for all of you who have watched, liked and shared this series – your feedback helps me know that I’m giving you the info that you want to learn about, so if there’s a topic you’re interested in that you want to learn more about – please let me know. You can connect with me on Facebook, Instagram, even message me right here on my website.
I would LOVE to hear from you!
I will see you back here next week when I’ll be unveiling our new monthly topic for June. Have an amazing week everyone!
