DUTCH Hormone Testing
The majority of woman we see in clinic are exhausted, adrenalized, and burned-out, spending their time juggling family duties, work, and other life challenges that are thrown their way. They are often not aware that they are suffering from a hormonal imbalance, presenting with symptoms such as abnormal menstruation (heavy/painful periods), PMS, headaches, decreased sex drive, bloating, mood swings, fatigue, anxiety & depression, breast tenderness, endometriosis, fibroids, and hormonal weight gain. With these women I almost always recommend they complete the DUTCH Test. Why? Because it’s the gold standard when it comes to hormone testing. The DUTCH test tests reproductive and adrenal hormones as well as melatonin and oxidative stress.
WHAT IS THE DUTCH HORMONE TEST?
The DUTCH test stands for Dried Urine Test for Comprehensive Hormones and involves collection of a small amount of urine on filtered paper four times a day. The DUTCH TEST measures hormone metabolites from the dried urine samples. The hormones measured in the test include:
Cortisol
Cortisone
Estradiol
Estrone
Estriol
Progesterone
Testosterone
DHEA
Melatonin
This test also measures cortisol and cortisone rhythms and levels, and estrogen metabolism pathways.
WHY MEASURE THESE HORMONES?
While hormone blood tests are a useful tool, they are not the same as the DUTCH test. Blood and saliva tests don’t measure cortisol rhythms and estrogen metabolism and do not track hormone replacement as thoroughly, not being sensitive enough to see the different levels of estrogen, which can be an issue for women when it comes to trying to figure out their estrogen state, and can impact on their overall health. What makes the DUTCH test better than blood or saliva tests is the comprehensive information that is collected with a single test. The DUTCH test is well-recognized for its ease-of-collection, coupled with comprehensive reporting that is not currently available from other tests.
Adrenal fatigue, sleep or stress issues. Testing the adrenal hormones provides specific information about how to support stress and sleep issues, by specifically looking at the the HPA axis (hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal) adrenal-brain communication.
Fertility problems, poly-cystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). This test is beneficial for people suffering from fibroids, PMS, irregular periods, painful periods, anxiety & moodiness, and endometriosis. It provides a comprehensive picture of how the adrenal and reproductive hormone imbalances may be contributing to these problems.
Hormone replacement therapy. This test works well for oral progesterone, vaginal hormones, patches, pellets and injections. Note that this is only for hormone replacement therapy, not hormonal birth control pills.
Sleep problems. By checking melatonin levels we can assess how your sleep patterns may be affected. Melatonin can be low and related to your sleep problems, or it can be normal.
DHEA levels. This “feel-good” hormone produced by your adrenal glands, when low it can cause fatigue, decrease in muscle mass or bone density, depression, aching joints, loss of libido, and lowered immunity.
Estrogen dominance. Estrogen dominance occurs when we have too much oestrogen in the body and is relative to the other sex hormones, such as having too little progesterone to balance it out. Estrogen dominance can be a factor in endometriosis, PMS, painful periods, fibrous breasts, fibroids, tender breasts, moodiness, and more. It can also make perimenopausal symptoms significantly worse.
Metabolization of estrogen through the liver. This is important for understanding how we are clearing estrogen's from the body. If you don’t metabolize estrogen well, you risk estrogen dominance, as well as risks of estrogen-related cancers such as breast, cervical and uterine cancers. We can also see the methylation pathway of estrogen when doing the DUTCH test, which can tell if there are nutrient deficiencies or an MTHFR gene mutation, which would then need to be addressed in order to maximize health.
WHAT DOES THIS TEST INVOLVE?
The test is ordered online and is posted to your home. It is a urine-based test and includes little strips to dip in your pee. You dip the strips, let them dry, mail them off. The instructions are simple and clear.
WHAT DOES IT COST?
The retail price is for the tests are as follows (prices in AU$):
DUTCH Complete test is $385
DUTCH Plus test is $429, a combination of dried urine and saliva swabs (to test waking cortisol response)
DUTCH Cycle Mapping $699Dried urine test done almost every morning of a woman’s cycle (this can be combined with the DUTCH Complete test).
DUTCH Adrenal $239
DUTCH Sex Hormone Metabolites $239
*Please note there is an additional postage fee for all tests.
*Test prices may change without notice.
HOW TO ORDER THE TEST:
For new clients, an Initial Consultation will need to be conducted before purchasing the test. The appropriate test will then be recommended for you. Please contact The Holland Clinic for further information, or book yourself an appointment (see button at the top of the website)
WHAT HAPPENS WITH THE RESULTS?
You will receive a comprehensive, about 19 pages long, report with your results and standard explanations provided by the provider.
To get the most out of your DUTCH test results, it is recommended that once test results arrive back to the clinic (approximately 4-6 weeks from patients completing the test) patients book in for a long consultation with Dr Holland to go through your results. Dr Holland will bring her 20 years in clinical women’s health care practice to the task, looking at any hormone imbalances to effectively determine a personalized plan tailored to your specific needs.
Subsequent recommendations may include the use of supplementation, herbs and low-dose bio-identical hormones, nutritional changes, lifestyle adjustments, sleep support, and alterations to exercise and stress management.
