There are a few ways to test hormones, including blood and saliva, but in fact, urine testing of hormone metabolites gives us an incredibly insightful look into how your hormones are behaving in the body.
Today we answer the most common questions we hear about the DUTCH test for hormone health.
Wait a minute, a DUTCH test? What is that?
Dried
Urine
Test for
Comprehensive
Hormones
It's an easy to complete test that provides an understanding of your sex and stress hormones as well as other important biomarkers that are excreted in your urine.
Who is the test suited for?
We use the test to help us identify hormone imbalances, mostly for women that come to us with concerns about their menstrual cycles, fertility, weight gain, previous diagnosis of PCOS, endometriosis or skin concerns.
These symptoms include:
PMS that feels extreme or unmanageable
Painful periods
Heavy or irregular periods
Clotting
Breast tenderness
Anxiety
Weight gain
Acne or intense skin flare ups
Fatigue
Fibroids
Bloating
Collecting the sample sounds messy, is it?
Surprisingly not! It's quite similar to doing a pregnancy test - weeing on a bit of paper, and is done in the comfort of your own home. Patients collect just four or five dried urine samples over a 24-hour period.
I've been told I need a blood test. Is this test better? How do I choose which one to go for?
A blood test is another excellent way of measuring hormones, and at The Natural Balance we often recommend a blood test too, especially if women are having fertility or menstrual cycle issues. The DUTCH test however is a great place to start, and for those that are needle adverse, much more preferable. The benefit of the DUTCH test is that is measures biomarkers over a 24 hour period, which is especially useful for tracking cortisol (stress hormone) levels. Cortisol is very connected with female hormone production and this can be very useful to know its cycle throughout the day.
How can the test help a health professional treat me?
The test we recommend, the DUTCH Complete provides an excellent report of 35 different hormone and stress levels over a 24 hour period.
Our therapists have extensive training and work closely with the labs to interpret your results on a case by case basis. Once we are certain we understand the pattern of results we will put together a comprehensive nutrition and supplement protocol and review symptoms accordingly.
Can I do this test on the NHS?
The test is not available on the NHS but some private medical insurers may cover it. Please check if your insurance company works with the CNHC as they may be able to cover the cost.
How long does it take to receive the report?
It takes around 10-15 days for the 3 page report to be delivered.
How has this test helped your clients before?
By understanding how your hormones are behaving, we're able to create a nutrition and treatment protocol 100% specific to your imbalances. This could mean we need to up-regulate or down regulate certain hormone pathways, we may need to improve your metabolisation and clearance of excess hormones through the body or we need to support other metabolic pathways in your body that impact your hormones.
Balancing your hormones can be done through a variety of holistic approaches including amending certain parts of your diet, supplements and herbs, changing up your exercise, supporting stress and sleep
If you have any more questions about DUTCH testing, feel free to get in contact with us today - book a free 20 minute call and we'd love a chat.
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Kelly Mulhall
Registered Nutritional Therapist
Kelly is a Registered Nutritional Therapist who focuses on positive physical and mental wellbeing, achieved through diet, lifestyle, sleep and exercise. Having struggled for years with IBS and hormonal imbalance, and increasingly frustrated with the lack of support and helpful advice from her GP, Kelly began her own journey of healing the body from the inside out. After seeing huge improvements she quit her job to study nutrition and focus on harnessing the healing powers of food to help other people in similar situations.