At our clinic, we do hormone testing with the majority of our patients. You see there is no one size fits all approach to treatment. We need to find out what your unique hormonal blueprint is – not only how much your body is producing of each hormone but also what the ratio is between the hormones.

This allows us to be very specific in the prescription of the best herbs, nutrients and lifestyle changes that are going to get your body back in balance.

Your symptoms might be the same as many other women who attend our clinic, but your hormonal profile and the advice and prescription we give you may be very different. A combination of saliva hormone testing, urine testing and blood work may be necessary.

It is also possible that your symptoms may not be caused by a hormonal imbalance. If complete hormone testing identifies that your hormonal profile is optimal, it is important that we seek further information. Relying on the advice of your practitioner is essential. Emma has the skills and knowledge necessary to interpret your test results and get you on the path to improvement quickly and safely. Working together as a team gives you the best chance to optimise your health and balance your hormones.

Saliva Hormone Test

A saliva hormone test is able to pick up even very slight imbalances that can cause aggravating symptoms. Hormones including testosterone, progesterone, estrogen (the three types – E1, E2 and E3) our stress hormones (cortisol and DHEA) and our sleep hormone (melatonin) can be measured this way.

Saliva is an excellent sample in which to measure these hormones as it reflects the biologically active component of hormones in your body. This contrasts with blood samples which measure the total levels of hormones in the bloodstream.

The timing of the collection of a saliva sample can be easily controlled. The day and time you need to collect your saliva sample varies from woman to woman. Emma can advise the correct timing for you.

Urine Test

Estrogen Metabolites

A urine test can measure the ratio between the “good” and “bad” forms of estrogen metabolites (what’s left over after estrogen is processed by the body). This information is helpful if you have a family history of estrogen dependent cancer like breast or endometrial cancer. Other conditions linked to estrogen excess include uterine fibroids, endometrioses and fibrocystic breast disease.  There are many natural strategies that can improve this ratio.

Blood Test

Some hormones must be checked through a blood test. If we need to investigate your thyroid hormones, you will need a blood test. Through blood work we can find out if your thyroid is underactive or overactive. We can also find out whether you have an auto-immune condition that may be affecting your thyroid function.

Thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) is the most common thyroid hormone checked through blood work. But this is not the only thyroid hormone and it is important to avoid relying only on this test to assess thyroid function.

It is preferable to also test the other thyroid hormones (FT3, FT4, reverse T3) and the thyroid auto-antibodies to get the true picture of how your thyroid is working. This will give you the best chance of identifying any imbalances in your thyroid hormone production and getting your health back on track.