Introduction to Hormones
Hormones can be described as the major chemical messengers in the body that affects a wide variety of functions in the body ranging from mood disorders to cancer development. Therefore, optimal health in both men and women highly depends on proper sex hormone balance. All of these hormones, and their metabolites, interact and affect each other. Understanding this concept, our doctors take a comprehensive approach to hormonal imbalances by measuring not only the major sex hormones, but also their metabolites in order to determine the exact cause of hormone imbalance.
Hormone Testing
There are a few different ways to test for hormones (saliva, serum and urine), each of which with its pros and cons. That’s why our doctors utilize saliva, urine or a combination of the two in order to get a comprehensive look at hormone production, conversion and elimination to determine a specific treatment plan that meets your individual needs.
Why Saliva?
Saliva testing is an easy and noninvasive way of assessing your hormone balancing needs and is proving to be the most reliable method for measuring hormone levels. The increased reliability of saliva testing is based on understanding the majority of sex hormones exist in one of two forms: free/active (5%) or protein bound/inactive (95%). Only the free hormones are biologically active and have an effect on the body. Protein bound hormones do not fit the receptors and are considered non-functional. When blood is filtered through the salivary glands, the bound hormone components are too large to pass through the cell membranes. Only the free hormones pass through and enter the saliva. Saliva testing also allows to look for patterns in hormone levels throughout the day to ensure that hormones are being secreted at appropriate times as they relate to the sleep/wake cycle.
When healthcare providers measure serum hormone levels and prescribe hormone replacement therapy based on those levels, patients are often overdosed. If the patients are then tested using saliva, the levels show to be extremely high and create confusion resulting from a lack of correlation between the two methods.
This discrepancy becomes especially important when monitoring topical (transdermal) hormone therapies. Studies show that this method of delivery results in increased tissue hormone levels (thus measurable in saliva), but no parallel increase in serum levels. Therefore, serum testing cannot be used to monitor topical hormone therapy.
Why Urine?
Estrogens, testosterone, cortisol, and other sex and adrenal stress hormones work together as a complex system in both men and women. Examining your hormonal balance is just as important as measuring hormone levels. Measuring only one or two hormones reveals nothing about the true balance and interaction of hormones in your body. Our 24-hour USHP (urinary steroid hormone profile) examines your hormones as the free, biologically active entities they are. Not only does this test measure the active hormones, but also measures hormone metabolites in order to evaluate the rate your hormones are being produced, converted, broken down and eliminated. This allows our doctors to determine where in the biochemical pathways of hormone balance.
The Comprehensive 24-hour Urine Steroid Hormone Profile Test Includes:
- Estrone (E1) ……………………………………………..Estradiol Prehormone (Ovaries and Placenta)
- 2-Hydroxy-estrone (2OH-E1)…………………..Metabolite of Estrone ("Good Estrogen")
- 16α-Hydroxy-estrone (16OH-E1)…………….Metabolite of Estrone ("Bad Estrogen")
- 4-Hydroxy-estrone (4OH-E1)…………………..Metabolite of Estrone
- 2-Methoxy-estrone (2MeOH) …………………..Metabolite of 2OH-E1
- 4-Methoxy-estrone (4MeOH) …………………..Metabolite of 4OH-E1
- Estradiol (E2) ……………………………………….…..Metabolite of Estrone
- Estriol (E3) ……………………………………………….Metabolite of Estrone and 16 Alpha Hydroxy-Estrone
- Testosterone...…………………………………………..Major Androgen Produced by Testes/Ovaries(Minorly)
- Dihydrotestosterone (DHT)*…………………….Metabolite of Testosterone ("Bad Testosterone")
- Androstanediol (5αAD3α17β)………………….Testosterone & 5 Alpha Dihydrotestosterone Metabolite
- Androstenedione...…………………………………...Androgen Precursor to Testosterone
- Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA)…………….Secreted by the Adrenals as the Sulfate and Ovaries
- Androstenetriol (5-AT) …………………………….Metabolite of Adrenal DHEA-Sulfate & Testosterone
- Androsterone (AN)…………………………………...Androgen Metabolite
- Etiocholanolone (ET) ………………………………..Androgen Metabolite
- Progesterone...…………………………………………..Secreted by Adrenal Cortex, Ovaries, Testes & Placenta
- Pregnanediol (PD)…………………………………….Major Progesterone Metabolite
- 5-pregnene-3β,17α,20α-triol (5-PT) ………...Metabolite of 17-Hydroxypregnenoione
- Pregnenolone...………………………………………….Progesterone Prehormone
- Cortisone (E)………………………………………………Adrenal Cortex
- Tetrahydrocortisone (THE)……………………….Metabolite of Cortisone
- Tetrahydrocorticosterone (THB) ……………...Metabolite of Corticosterone
- 5α-Tetrahydrocorticosterone (5α-THB) …...Metabolite of Corticosterone
- Cortisol (F)…………………………………………………Adrenal Cortex
- Tetrahydrocortisol (THF) ………………………….Metabolite of Cortisol
- 5α-Tetrahydrocortisol (5αTHF) ………………..Metabolite of Cortisol