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Hormone Testing: What Kind is Best and Why Do You Need It?

Getting hormone testing can be a very important step in diagnosing and treating a wide range of conditions, in both women and men.

Traditionally, hormone testing has been done using blood samples. There are some limitations with this approach which is why the approach of saliva hormone testing is recommend.

More fundamentally, blood hormone assessments can be an inaccurate reflection of what is happening because they measure the level of hormones that may (or may not) find their way from your blood into the tissues of the body.

There is another way that is less invasive, easier to do and gives a more complete and accurate picture of what is going on with your hormones. Saliva hormone testing is pain free and convenient as it is done from home. Most importantly, it measures bioavailable hormone levels— hormones that have already passed through the saliva gland tissues to enter the saliva.

Female Hormone Panel

The saliva hormone assessment for women measures estradiol, progesterone, cortisol, DHEA-S and testosterone. Cortisol is measured 4 times over a 24-hour period, which is important since the body is meant to produce higher and lower levels of the hormone throughout the day.

If you have one or more of the following, you should strongly consider having a saliva hormone assessment, as these conditions can be related to hormone irregularities:

• PMS
• Heavy and/or painful periods
• Menstrual irregularities
• Perimenopausal symptoms (add hyperlink to perimenopause article)
• Painful breasts
• Fibrocystic breasts
• Breast cancer
• Uterine fibroids
• Ovarian cysts
• Endometriosis

Other symptoms potentially related to hormone imbalance (add hyperlink to hormone imbalance article) include:

• Weight gain
• Low libido
• Anxiety and depression
• Irritability
• Sleep disturbances
• Hot flashes
• Bone loss

Male Hormone Panel

Saliva hormone assessment for men measures levels of testosterone, cortisol, DHEA-S and estradiol. Imbalances involving these hormones in men can lead to:

• Low libido
• Erectile dysfunction
• Prostate enlargement — called Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH)
• Weight gain
• Apathy, irritability or depression
• Memory loss
• Bone loss

In addition, melatonin (the hormone for sleep-wake cycles) and cortisol levels can be measured.

How hormone testing supports naturopathic treatment

NEX Wellness offers saliva hormone testing in Burlington. Once we have an accurate picture of your hormone levels through saliva hormone assessment, we can provide the appropriate naturopathic treatment to assist your body in regulating the specific hormones involved in the imbalance. This typically involves a combination of nutrition and nutritional supplements, herbal and other natural medicines, and lifestyle recommendations. In certain circumstances, based on the outcome of a complete naturopathic assessment that includes saliva hormone testing, we may suggest that you consider bioidentical hormones as a treatment option.

To schedule an appointment for a naturopathic assessment, including hormone testing in Burlington or Saliva testing, in Burlington, please contact us info@nexwellness.com or call us at 905-634-5000.