What We Look For In The Best At
To find the best at-home hormone tests, we made sure they met our specific criteria requirements, which are as follows:
- Test variety There are several hormones that are an indicator of your health, so we made sure our top providers tested for a variety of different hormones.
- Report quality Some of the kits we researched simply tell you your current hormone levels with no context. We only choose companies that offer quality reports which include what your levels mean along with actionable insights.
- Fast results You shouldnt be waiting for weeks on end to get your results, so we picked tests that turn around your report quickly.
- Medical support Companies that offered medical support in the form of a confidential consultation, scored highly.
- Value-for-money We ensured that you got what you paid for with the hormone tests.
Our #1 pick is LetsGetChecked. It offers a variety of hormone tests, including individual cortisol, progesterone, and testosterone tests, and hormone panels such as the thyroid test that can identify an underactive or overactive thyroid.
We love that LetsGetCheked has both male and female-specific hormone tests, which provide a broad picture of health as well as insights into fertility.
Our kit included everything we needed to collect our sample in the privacy of our own home. You may feel a little squeamish about taking your own blood sample, but our researcher confirmed it was easy and completely painless.
Common Symptoms Of A Hormonal Imbalance
Hormonal imbalances can cause many different symptoms. Some common issues to look out for include:
- A bulge in the neck
Many symptoms of a hormonal imbalance can be misleading. For example, both weight gain and weight loss can be symptomatic of a hormonal imbalance. So, its really difficult to just rely on symptoms to understand which specific hormone is the root of the problem. This is when getting tested becomes handy.
If youre having trouble falling asleep, you may have low progesterone levels that are usually in charge of helping you fall asleep. On the other hand, high progesterone levels could be problematic as well, as these will make you feel sleepy even if youre getting enough rest.
Low melatonin gives your body a signal that its time to rest. Low estrogen can give you night sweats that can be unbearable for many.
If youre struggling with any symptom of a possible hormone imbalance, you need to get tested. Your hormone levels will depict the root cause of the symptoms you are experiencing and, you will be able to target them properly.
Ask A Laboratory Scientist
This form enables patients to ask specific questions about lab tests. Your questions will be answered by a laboratory scientist as part of a voluntary service provided by one of our partners, American Society for Clinical Laboratory Science. Please allow 2-3 business days for an email response from one of the volunteers on the Consumer Information Response Team.
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Free Thyroxine And Free Triiodothyronine
Thyroid binding globulin is a protein that transports thyroid hormone & makes it so your body cant use it. When thyroid hormone is bound it is measured via blood test as Total T4 & Total T3.
Your cells use Free T4 & Free T3. This is why we measure both of these markers in addition to TSH.
Your T4 is inactive and T3 is active. T3 is involved in your mood, menses, metabolism, and gut motility.
My Hormone Levels Are Normal Now What
As you can see, hormonal imbalances are often the culprits for many of the symptoms that women at or over 40 claim make them feel different, but if your doctor has conducted blood tests and you do not have a hormone imbalance, we recommend taking a look at the following factors in your overall health:
What is preventive health? Learn more now and see how it can help you!
We understand how tempting and easy it can be for women to blame their hormones for not feeling like they did when they were in their 20s and early 30s. And, we also know that evaluating your overall health and making changes to your routine to get enough sleep, eat a healthy diet, and exercise regularly, takes a great deal of time and effort. Thats why were here to help.
At Moreland OB-GYN, we specialize in womens health care and prioritizing the needs of our patients at all ages and stages in their life. We hope youll connect with us to answer your questions and we hope youll turn to our experts as a trusted source for information.
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Get A Clear Picture Of Your Health
Your results might be based on hard science, but that doesnt mean you have to be a scientist to understand them. Our health dashboard gives you easy, secure and confidential access to your own results.
Science made simple
See at a glance if your results fall outside the normal range, and compare your results to others.
Personalised expert advice
Get personalised and practical advice from our team of medical experts so you know what steps you need to take to improve.
Know your health inside out
Find out the impact each health marker has on your health with our bite-sized information. We also provide deep dives for those who want to know more
- Results within 2 working days
What Is The Endocrine System
The endocrine system is in charge of coordinating the relationship between different organs and hormones, which are chemicals that are released into your bloodstream from cells within your endocrine glands.
Hormones are secreted by various glands and organs, including your thyroid, adrenals, pituitary, ovaries, testicles and pancreas. The entire endocrine system works together to control the level of hormones circulating throughout your body, and if one or more is even slightly imbalanced, it can cause widespread health problems affecting growth, sexual development and function, sleep, metabolism and hunger.
Once your hormones are in circulation, they target specific tissues or cells by binding to receptors that are located inside the cell or on its surface. These hormones work as chemical messengers and play a key role in your bodys daily functions.
The endocrine system is made up of many glands, including the pituitary gland or master gland thats responsible for sending information from your brain to other glands in your body. The pituitary gland also produces many hormones that travel throughout the body and have different important functions.
The pituitary gland is made up of two different tissue types: the anterior pituitary that synthesizes and releases classic hormones, and the posterior pituitary gland that secretes neurohormones that are made in the hypothalamus.
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What Causes A Hormonal Imbalance
The causes of hormonal imbalances vary according to the specific hormone involved. However, in general, they are due to changes or dysfunctions of a hormone-producing gland. For instance, a thyroid gland that isnt functioning correctly may produce too much thyroid hormone, accelerating your bodys metabolism or could produce too little. Thyroid dysfunction can be caused by autoimmune diseases, thyroid nodules, medications or, rarely, thyroid cancer, among other potential causes. Imbalances in male or female sex hormones, such as estrogen, progesterone and testosterone, can be caused by age-related changes, such as menopause and andropause, as well as genetic disorders, stress, nutritional issues, or medications. Excessive stress, poor diet, aging and certain medications can contribute to imbalances in cortisol and other adrenal hormones.
There are many different underlying causes that can result in a hormonal imbalance. Each cause relates to different glands and hormones and, does impact your body differently. Many diseases and other conditions can result in a hormonal imbalance.
Diabetes
Diabetes is characterized by an inability to properly use the insulin hormone. An insulin imbalance can lead to other related hormonal imbalances as well such as disrupting estrogen, testosterone, thyroid, progesterone, and cortisol.
Hypothyroidism or Hyperthyroidism
Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia
Cushing Syndrome
Addisons Disease
Turner Syndrome
Prader-Willi Syndrome
Pancreatitis
Female Hormone Imbalance: What Is It
Hormonal imbalance occurs when the amount of estrogen, progesterone or both is altered, disturbing the delicate balance between these powerful hormones. Imbalances in these vital female hormones can stem from a number of underlying causes. The most common cause is perimenopause, the transitional phase leading up to menopause, during which the production of estrogens and progesterone begin to decline. Other common causes of hormonal imbalance include pregnancy, endocrine disorders, certain drugs, especially oral contraceptives, drugs used in hormone replacement therapy and cancer medications, and lifestyle factors that include stress, overweight or obesity, poor diet, sleep deprivation and lack of exercise.
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Commonly Asked Questions About Female Hormones
What is the lifelong role of estrogen in female health?
Most people think estrogen is primarily responsible for reproduction, but it also helps with bone, skin and cardiovascular health. In addition, it affects thyroid hormone production. During menopause, estrogen levels decline along with the production of progesterone and testosterone. Hormone replacement therapy , which means replacing lost hormones by re-introducing them into the body, is often suggested to offset the positive benefits of estrogen and can be helpful in reducing common symptoms of menopause. But some studies show that artificial doses of estrogen carry risks and have been linked to cancer, dementia, strokes and arthritis. Never assume that hormone replacement therapy is the right thing to do without consulting your healthcare provider.
What is Puberty? Hormones that control puberty
Puberty is the time in life when children begin to show changes through hormone secretions that indicate they are about to become adults physically. In girls, the most obvious sign of puberty is the onset of menstruation. It can happen anywhere between the ages of 9 17, with a median age of 12. The menses, or monthly cycle, is interrupted during pregnancy and typically ends when the ovaries stop secreting steroid hormones a stage known as menopause.
What are the hormonal milestones in a females life?
What Causes Hot Flashes?
Why do I feel so different during my monthly cycle?
Why dont men have monthly cycles?
Are Home Hormone Testing Kits Accurate
Generally yes, but a few key factors can throw off the accuracy of your results.
Cycle timing
If youre testing female reproductive hormones, youll need to do your test on a specific day of your cycleusually Day 3, which will fall around the middle of most peoples menstrual period.
Levels of reproductive hormones change throughout your cycle, so baseline standards are different depending on the day of the month. Follow testing directions closely testing on the wrong day of your cycle will make it hard for the testing company to compare your hormone levels to levels considered normal for that day.
Irregular bleeding patterns
Most people rely on their period to determine where they are in their cycle. But when youre dealing with mid-cycle bleeding such as spotting or ovulation bleeds, it can be hard to determine which blood is your real period. This in turn makes it hard to follow kit directions for testing on a specific day of your cycle.
If you have irregular bleeding patterns, you may opt to test your hormone levels with your doctor instead, who can use other information about your health to determine where you are in your cycle and more accurately measure your hormone levels.
Coming off the pill
Its common for people who recently stopped taking hormonal birth control to experience menstrual difficulties, worsened PMS, irregular cycles, and hormonal imbalances. Not surprisingly, these people tend to be very interested in getting their hormone levels checked.
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Men And Estrogen: What You Need To Know
Estrogen is known primarily as a female hormone that helps regulate menstrual cycles, yet the hormone plays a bigger role in mens health than most people realize. Men produce small amounts of estrogen as part of their normal functioning male reproductive system, along with the male hormone testosterone. As they age, less testosterone is produced.
Yet questions are beginning to emerge as to what specific part estrogen plays in male development, especially as a man ages. Once largely ignored, estrogen levels in men are now under the microscope as researchers are trying to determine this hormones role in men and how it affects the bodys different hormone levels.
A decrease in estrogen, for example, may be a factor in fat accumulation in men as well as women. One endocrinologist at Harvard Medical School reported in a 2013 study that some of the symptoms of testosterone deficiency in males, including a decline in libido, were at least partially caused by lower estrogen production.
What Causes A Hormone Imbalance
Hormonal imbalance can occur when the endocrine glands are not functioning properly, for example, the thyroid gland and pituitary gland. An overactive or underactive thyroid can cause a hormonal imbalance.
If you suffer from chronic stress, then high levels of the stress hormone cortisol will impact the production of other key hormones such as progesterone. The body will create more cortisol by using available progesterone, thus depleting progesterone levels. Progesterone is a key balancing hormone so will impact the production of other hormones such as oestrogen.
Conditions such as type 1 and 2 diabetes and Cushings syndrome can also result in a hormone imbalance.
And finally, a poor diet and lack of good nutrition will also have an impact, as well as your age. As women enter the menopause around their mid-forties their hormones will begin to fluctuate.
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Which Hormones Should My Home Kit Test For If I Have Period Problems
The human body is home to over 50 different types of hormones, but you only need to test for a handful of them to decode imbalances that would lead to menstrual difficulties.
The primary reproductive hormones that drive the menstrual cycle are:
Other reproductive hormones that influence the menstrual cycle are:
- Luteinizing hormone
Most home kits for female reproductive hormones test for some or all of the above. The broader the test, the clearer the window into your health. Hormones interact with each other in a complex, chain-like reaction small changes to one hormone can cause big changes to the next. If you only test for the first hormone in the cascade, you may not get the full picture.
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How To Test Progesterone Levels At Home
Dr. Amy Beckley, PhD, Founder and Inventor of the Proov test the first and only FDA-cleared test to confirm successful ovulation at home.
Low progesterone can make it more difficult to get pregnant. Keep reading to learn how you can test your progesterone levels at home!
If you are trying to get pregnant, you have probably heard of progesterone. This powerful hormone is critical when trying to conceive without enough of it, it can be more difficult to get pregnant!
Since progesterone is so important, you may be wondering how to know you have enough. Keep reading to learn how you can test your progesterone levels at home!
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Types Of Hormone Blood Tests
Some hormone tests help diagnose diseases. Diabetes, for instance, is caused by the bodys inability to process or produce the insulin hormone to control blood sugar. We also offer sex-specific tests.
Our hormone tests for women can provide insight into health concerns such as fertility, osteoporosis, and menopause. Hormone tests for men can be used to measure testosterone levels for fertility, building muscle mass, sex drive, and more. You can also use hormonal imbalance tests to check the functioning of particular glands, such as the thyroid or pituitary.
Who Should Get Tested for Hormone Imbalance?You may want to get tested if you have a family history of hormone-related disorders or diseases. Hormone testing may also be beneficial if you have symptoms associated with imbalances, including:
- Unexplained weight gain or loss
- Pains or aches in the muscles or joints
- Changes in mood, such as anxiety or depression
- Cold or heat sensitivity
Your physician may also recommend a hormone blood test to help diagnoses a specific health condition.
What Is Hormonal Imbalance
Hormones are produced by the endocrine glands, which create hormones to travel throughout the body to tell your organs what to do. These are responsible for many of the vital functions of your body, including your metabolism and reproduction. If the levels are too high or too low, this leads to significant negative effects on the body.
Various tests can be used to test your hormone levels, which can offer excellent insight as to what may be causing your problems. Then you can begin the right treatment to help you get back to feeling like yourself.
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Hormone Replacement Therapy What Men Should Know
Many think of menopause and hormone replacement, as the period when women suffer of hot flashes. But it turns out that men, too, experience effects of fluctuating hormones. Some even reported symptoms that are very similar to those of women who are in the stages of pre and full-blown menopause.
It has long been debated whether such a condition actually exist and how it could be affecting men. All this debate led to labeling the whole hormonal changes in men period as low testosterone. Sometimes it is called male menopause. Most experts agree that it is the result of a gradual decline in hormones, including testosterone and DHEA, due primarily to aging. Typically, testosterone levels in men begin to decline between the ages of 25 and 50, with up to a 50 percent reduction by the time a male reaches his 60s. However, some men can witness a simultaneous spike in their estrogen hormone levels.