Hormone testing is one of the most contentious topics in my work with women’s health and hormones. Women are perplexed about whether and how to test their hormones, and many doctors, to be honest, are perplexed as well.
As a result, women’s very real (and very bothersome) hormone abnormalities go undiagnosed and untreated. But that is no longer the case. Science has progressed significantly, and we can now test for hormones in ways that we have never been able to before. Women from many walks of life can benefit.
THE DUTCH EXAMINATION
DUTCH (Dried Urine Test for Comprehensive Hormones) is an abbreviation for Dried Urine Test. It’s a straightforward yet in-depth test that examines not only your hormones but also how your body absorbs and metabolizes them.
The DUTCH test examines not only your production of hormones (though it does so thoroughly), but also your stress hormones, androgens (male pattern hormones), melatonin, and, in the case of the new DUTCH test, organic acids – markers for mood and dietary balance in the body. The following are some factors which describe the best of Dutch Examination and you can search about it more at Advanced functional medicine Australia.
COLLECTION OF SIMPLE OBJECTIVES
Nothing beats peeing on a piece of filter paper for convenience. The DUTCH test Australia is available Australia wide, including Perth, Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Adelaide.
HORMONE LEVELS IN DETAIL
If you have a query regarding your hormones, the DUTCH test is likely to have the solution. While your Naturopathic Doctor may still recommend blood testing for hormones like thyroid hormone, FSH or LH the DUTCH test includes practically all other hormones.
MATTERS OF METABOLISM
The DUTCH test is unquestionably the finest because it measures metabolites. The absolute level of your hormones is essential, but what your body does with them is even more critical. This is metabolism; does your body convert testosterone to the acne-causing 5a-DHT? Is your body capable of converting estradiol to the DNA-damaging 4-OH estrone? Are you metabolizing and healthily removing estrogen? You can find out by taking the DUTCH test.
THOSE CURVES ARE EVERYTHING.
Not every hormone has consistent levels throughout the day. Cortisol, our primary stress hormone, and its metabolite cortisone, in particular, have a curve that fluctuates throughout the day. Blood tests only provide a single picture of your cortisol levels.
In contrast, a dried urine test provides both the overall amounts of cortisol and cortisone and the curve – how those levels fluctuate throughout the day. This is beneficial information for anyone dealing with stress, weariness, worry, low libido, sleeping problems, or insomnia.
ESTROGEN THAT IS EQUALLY DISTRIBUTED
Estrogen is one of our bodies’ most essential hormones, and while it has numerous health benefits, it can also have harmful consequences if it is out of balance. Typical estrogen testing focuses solely on estradiol, the body’s primary estrogen.
But that only gives us a sliver of the picture. If we wish to balance our estrogen and avoid the difficulties of estrogen dominance, we need to know how our bodies deal with the estrogen burden. What are the metabolic processes that our bodies use? Are those the most efficient routes?
The DUTCH test is strongly suggested at the initial visit if you contemplate bio-identical hormones (BHRT) for perimenopause or menopause symptoms. It will help you understand how you will absorb the hormones.
MELATONIN
Knowing your melatonin levels is crucial knowledge to have if you’re having trouble sleeping. Melatonin levels are essential for everyone, not just individuals with insomnia or sleep problems. Melatonin is a potent antioxidant in our systems, and it has been established that adequate levels of melatonin minimize the risk of hormonal malignancies (including breast cancer). The DUTCH test is the only hormone test that checks melatonin.
Your Functional Medicine Australia expert will help you interpret results.
