Thanks to our national laboratory partner, hormone deficiency testing can be performed anywhere in the United States.
The DaSilva Institute believes in comprehensive laboratory testing before prescribing hormones or any other treatment. Because we specialize in functional medicine, we value the opportunity to save lives by catching a potentially dangerous disease early.
Other clinics often choose to test only the markers that are exclusive to three basic hormones, thus there is no emphasis on fixing the thyroid, adrenal gland, diabetic, or other dangerous metabolic issues.
We recommend a blood test for hormone levels rather than a saliva home test kit.
Blood serum is still the gold standard for measuring hormone levels. It is reliable and provides standardization in both safety and efficacy.
IMPORTANT NOTE ON SALIVA TESTING:
Many doctors and other healthcare providers utilize saliva testing due to its wide availability and ease of use. Unfortunately, reference values are not reliable nor reproducible once patients go on hormones. In fact, one lab that performs saliva hormone testing states the following in their documentation:
“Transdermal (cream) and sublingual bio-identical hormones may produce artificially high levels in the saliva that do not correlate with blood levels. This increase from cream hormones may last for weeks to months after discontinuing use. If you are taking these substances – or have taken them within the last 12 months – please consult with your healthcare practitioner before taking this test.”
Therefore, patients commonly appear “overdosed” once they go on HRT, making saliva an unreliable method of testing hormones.
Ready to learn how to check your hormone levels and get started with your bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT)? We make lab testing affordable and convenient, nationwide! No need to travel. The tests can even be performed at home via a visiting nurse phlebotomist, who will send your blood samples to our laboratory partner. Your lab results will be emailed, followed by a phone consultation with a medical professional who specializes in hormone health.
Learn more about bioidentical hormone therapy in general and the reason that synthetic hormones often have dangerous side effects.
For information specific to your gender, read about bioidentical HRT for women or HRT for men.