Saliva Testing

Hormonal Saliva Testing
In order to develop your personalized bio-identical hormone therapy, it’s important to first test your hormone levels. While blood tests have been the conventional barometer for establishing a hormonal baseline, they have proven unreliable due to the body’s daily hormonal fluctuations.

Additionally, compared to a blood test, a saliva test is more economical, less invasive and allows for assessment of the current levels of steroid hormones (e.g. estradiol, progesterone, testosterone) without a trip to the doctor’s office. Saliva testing was approved by the World Health Organization (WHO) during the 1990s as an accurate, convenient and noninvasive measurement of free hormone levels.

The steroid hormones that are present in your saliva reflect the hormones circulating in your bloodstream. Those particularly of interest are those hormones that are free to enter tissues throughout the body.

Saliva Testing Overview

The truth is hormones are much more than random monthly pimples and crying episodes.  Hormones represent a crucial part of a woman’s overall health and well-being. When hormones are balanced and working in perfect harmony, you feel vital and active. However, when they are out of whack, the result can be thinning hair, persistent acne, mood swings, low energy, lack of sexual pleasure, weight gain, irregular periods and pain.

The majority of the 42 million American women between the ages of 35 and 55 either don’t realize their hormones are unbalanced or believe they just have to live with the symptoms. However, left unchecked, hormonal imbalances can cause serious physical and emotional harm including menstrual disorders, bleeding, cramps, irregular periods, increased facial and body hair, breast pain, pelvic pain, premature ovarian failure, insulin resistance, disorders of the endocrine system, migraines, depression and chronic fatigue.

What Hormones Should I Be Tested For?

Once you get a handle on where your hormones are compared to where they should be, you can replace or supplement those hormones. 

Estradiol: E2 causes cell proliferation and is your body’s strongest estrogen. It is produced during the menstrual cycle and is the most common estrogen prescribed in hormone replacement therapy. There is a 50/50 balance of Estrone and Estradiol, so it isn’t necessary to test for Estrone (E1), since it will likely be identical to E2.

Progesterone: Progesterone – Pg is an asexual hormone with neither male nor female traits and serves as the balancing hormone to Estradiol - E2. Progesterone protects a woman’s uterine lining and breast tissue. Progesterone helps build new bone and aids in the prevention of osteoporosis.

Testosterone: New studies suggest that Testosterone can both help and harm women. You should supplement Testosterone only if the saliva test deems your levels to be too low.

DHEA: DHEA is produced in the adrenals of men and women from cholesterol and converts Testosterones and Estrogens.

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