DUTCH Dried Urine Hormone Test
October 09, 2017 01:20 PM
If you've ever wondered what your hormones are doing, you've probably questioned what test would be best. The serum hormone test (blood) is not a great test because one cannot adequately measure the adrenal hormones in the blood and we get no information about how the hormones are broken down in the body. Similarly with saliva hormone testing, the metabolites of the different hormones are not determined. The DUTCH test is a dried urine hormone test that is able to see how your body breaks down your hormones. Why is it a good idea to know about the hormone metabolites or how they are broken down? If estrogen is broken down in such a way that increases a certain harmful metabolite, it can increase your risk of cancer. Knowing this information allows us to use natural supplements to help your body break down hormone properly. We also want to gain an understanding of other hormones such as progesterone, T, DHEA, melatonin and cortisol. If you opt for bio-identical hormone replacement therapy, then monitoring how your body breaks down these hormones is critical to make sure they don't cause any harm to the body.
The DUTCH test is easy to use. All you have to do is wet the strips provided with your urine and then let it dry. The sample is stable for weeks. Everything is mailed and the results are usually available in 3 weeks. Sadly, the test is not cheap. It costs $440 CAD for a 24 hour sample. If you have irregular periods or no periods and want to understand what is going on through out the month, then multiple month long samples can be collected and analyzed. The price would be $650 for the month long analysis plus the full hormone metabolites.
Usually, I recommend natural treatment first, whether we are talking about hot flashes or fertility and period issues. If we do not get any resolution in a few months, then a recommend the DUTCH test to really know what is going on. I also recommend it, if you decide on doing bio-identical hormone replacement therapy to make sure your body is breaking down the hormones properly and not causing any harm. Genetically, we are all different and some of us do not break down our hormones properly. It's important to optimize the detoxification ability of the liver for optimal health.
If you are interested in this type of testing or want to know more, please do not hesitate to ask us. There's also more information on the lab's website https://dutchtest.com/women/.
