Why I Love Offering The DUTCH Hormone Test to Clients

 I’ve been offering the DUTCH test in my practice for over 5 years as a way for clients to learn more about their health.

I’ll send a test to your home and on day 19-21 of your menstrual cycle (or 5-7 days after ovulation) you’ll begin this easy dried urine test.

Peep the research comparing serum and dried urine.

Sample report

Some amazing reasons why the DUTCH will help you

1. It will inform you of your estrogen (3 types) and progesterone metabolites. You need both of these hormones, but in the right balance. If we don’t have enough progesterone we may feel anxious, have fertility complications and not ovulate. We also need estrogen for bone health, we just don’t want too much as that can be carcinogenic (4OH type), endometriosis and fibroids (16OH type), PMS, migraines, mood changes or weight gain. We want to send estrogen down the phase 1 detoxification pathway referred to as 2OH, it’s the less carcinogenic one. It even has anti--proliferative effects on cancer cells.

2. No period? We need to know your hormone levels. They could be so low that you aren’t cycling. This test will inform me where you are and what herbs to suggest. Higher estrogen and lower progesterone have cross over symptoms, we don’t want to guess you’re estrogen dominant

3. Stress and/or perimenopause. . Many people are walking around with low or high cortisol and this is definitely present in perimenopause as the HPA axis takes on a bigger role than prior. The DUCTH test measures free cortisol as well as total cortisol. Saliva tests only look at free cortisol, but we want total (referred to as metabolized as it makes up 80% of your cortisol). If the total cortisol is low and the free cortisol is high, I will ask you to get your thyroid checked and provide tips. If the total cortisol is high and the free cortisol is low, I think insulin resistance.

4. How we break down estrogen and the pathway it goes down is super important information that directly impacts your health! The DUTCH will show you your % and a pie chart with your results compared to the ideal ratio. I will then give you tips to increase your 2OH if needed (this decreases 4OH/16OH). I’m nerding out, I know. Knowing this information informs me what supplements, foods or herbs to suggest for your symptoms. We’ll see your phase 1 detoxification (2OH, 4OH, 16OH) as well as phase 2 (methylated, sulfated and glucoronidated). Phase 3 is when estrogen exits the body through the GI tract.

5. Organic acids: this is such a wonderful bonus on the DUTCH test. We see oxidative stress, dopamine, B12, B6, glutathione and more!

6. Melatonin is also measured and often low when people have difficulty with sleep

7. Androgens (testosterone and DHEA) are tested as well as the pathway they take (5a versus 5b). If a client pushes toward the 5a pathway, they are more prone to androgenic symptoms, such as acne.

Symptoms that warrant a DUTCH test

• PMS mood changes like anger, irritable and anxiety which can last from a day or so to two weeks

• Bloating

• Anxious or low mood, especially if you believe hormonal

• Acne, if around cycle

• Cramps, moderate to severe

• Irregular or no period

• Heavy or light periods

• Breast tenderness
  Breast lumps and cysts

• Migraines and headaches

• Infertility

• Perimenopause (but I love a GI-MAP stool test here too!)

Clients really find this testing beneficial as I tailor their wellness plan based on results. They get better sooner because we take the guessing out of it!

Any questions? Feel free to book in for a complimentary 15 minute discovery call by filling out an application to work together under services.

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