What is the difference between testing my hormone levels through saliva compared to blood?Typically when a doctor runs blood work to see if you are in menopause, he/she checks FSH, LH and sometimes estrogen. FSH stands for follicle stimulating hormone and LH is short for luteinizing hormone. Follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) stimulates the maturation of an egg developing in an ovarian follicle. LH stimulates the release of that egg from the ovary at ovulation. As a woman gets closer to menopause, her ovaries do not respond as efficiently to these two hormones and as a result the body has to secrete higher amounts to stimulate the ovaries. These hormones will go up in menopause due to the ovaries’ reduced response to them. If you are in menopause, the FSH and/or LH level will be elevated and the estrogen may (or may not) be low. Most women don’t need a test to tell them they are menopausal, their symptoms make them well aware of that. A blood test confirms that a woman is menopausal, but provides little information regarding the balance between estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone. Granted if your estrogen shows up low on a blood test, it is undoubtedly low, and will show up low on a saliva test. However, a normal estrogen level on blood work does not necessarily mean all is well. Salivary hormone testing can reveal hormone imbalances that blood work doesn’t.
Why did saliva testing reveal imbalances when my blood levels were normal?In the blood 95-99% of the hormones are bound to proteins. In the case of estrogen and testosterone this protein is called sex hormone binding globulin (SBHG). The hormones, let's use estrogen as an example, bound to this SBHG cannot act. It would be like taking your house key (estrogen), gluing it to a beach ball (SBHG) and then trying to stick your key in the lock. How a hormone works is often compared to a lock and key, because in order for a hormone (the key) to have an effect on a tissue it must first fit into a receptor (the lock) on a cell. Once it locks into the receptor estrogen can have an effect on the tissue. The remaining 1-5% of the hormone that is not bound to SHBG is referred to as “free” hormone. It is the “free” hormone that is available for the body to use. Blood tests do not distinguish between bound and free hormones. Blood testing measures both the estrogen attached to beach balls and the free estrogen. So it is important to measure what’s actually available for use (this is called “bio-availability”) rather than just a measurement of overall estrogen. Saliva provides us with that information. Only the free hormones are present in the saliva, so saliva hormone testing gives us a better idea of what is actually available to the tissues, which could look different than the total levels in the blood.
Why should women have salivary hormone levels tested?Whether it is during the reproductive years, peri-menopause or post menopause stages, whenever there are symptoms of hormone imbalance, a salivary hormone test may provide some insight.
Symptoms of hormone imbalance include but are not limited to:
Why should men have salivary hormone levels tested?Middle aged men go through andropause (which is the male version of menopause). Andropause is a condition that is associated with a decrease in testosterone. The symptoms of andropause can come on gradually since after the age of 30 a man’s production of testosterone decreases approximately 10% each decade. About 30% of men in their fifties will experience symptoms of andropause due to lower testosterone levels. Without appropriate treatment, a man with low testosterone may have a number of symptoms and could be at an increased risk of other serious health conditions such as osteoporosis and heart disease.
Although symptoms may vary from person to person, common symptoms of men going through andropause include:
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