Male & Female Hormone Blood Testing
Reasons to take this Test
Andropause, Menopause and Perimenopausal Symptoms, Hot Flashes, Vaginal Dryness, Painful Intercourse, Decreased Sexual Drive, Decreased Sexual Sensitivity, Brain Fog, Memory loss, Fatigue, Moodiness, Insomnia, Thinning Hair, Loss of Pubic Hair, PMS, PCOS, Endometriosis, Infertility, Miscarriages, Postpartum Depression and Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) Monitoring.
Individual Hormones Tested:
- Pregnenolone (P) ($195.00)
- Estrone (E1) ($150.00)
- Estradiol (E2) ($185.00)
- Estriol (E3) ($150.00)
- Progesterone (P4) ($139.00)
- Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) ($195.00)
- Testosterone (T) (195.00)
- Di-Hydro Testosterone (195.00)
- Sex Hormone Binding Globulin (SHBG) ($150.00)
- Free (Unbound) Testosterone (FT) ($95.00)
Total List Price: $1649 | Our Regular Price: $
850 | Sale Price: $595
The Comprehensive Male or Female 9 Hormone Panel Blood test is a safe and reliable lab test that measures 9 key hormone levels including Pregnenolone, all three types of Estrogen [Estrone (E1), Estradiol (E2) and Estriol (E3)], Progesterone, DHEA-S, Testosterone, Di-Hydro Testosterone, Sex Hormone Binding Globulin, and Free Testosterone. These hormones are all vital to a woman or a man’s hormonal balance, prevention and treatment of low libido, depressed mood, obesity, Osteoporosis, Heart Disease and Cancer.
Overview
Hormones exert a powerful influence over a man's or a woman’s health. Estrogens give a woman her feminine shape, boost mood and cognitive function, prevent hair loss, thinning of the skin and thinning of the bones. The small amount of Estrogen needed by a man helps to balance his mood and raises healthy HDL Cholesterol and reduces his risk of a heart attack. In both sexes, Pregnenolone protects your brain and nerves and improves your memory. Progesterone calms your mood, improves sleep, builds bone and activates Tumor Suppressor Protein (p53), helping to prevent cancer. DHEA is an adrenal hormone that regulates cortisol and thyroid hormones, lubricates your joints and helps make Testosterone. Testosterone increases energy, libido, muscle strength and confidence, bone density and prevents brain fog and plaque build-up in the arteries.
A comprehensive assessment of your hormonal balance can be made by measuring Pregnenolone, Estrone, Estradiol, Estriol, DHEA, Progesterone, and Testosterone, DHT, SHBG and Free Testosterone. Informed decisions regarding the need to initiate Bio-Identical Hormone Replacement Therapy (BHRT), or how to individualize therapy can then be made to maximize the health benefits of BHRT. Individual differences in hormone metabolism make monitored therapy the best way to prevent cancer and push back the signs of aging.
Careful monitoring and individualization of BHRT can provide women with the benefits of supplemented natural Estrogen while reducing the risk of uterine, ovarian and breast cancer. (An increased cancer risk has been associated with conjugated Estrogen or synthetically modified Estradiol and Progestin hormone use. This is not the case with bio-identical or natural balanced hormone use.)
Pregnenolone
Pregnenolone is the most highly concentrated hormone in the human brain. It is the key hormone that nourishes the brain and protects the nervous system. It is called the “Mother Hormone” because from it all of the other key hormones are derived. Pregnenolone is made in the brain and the adrenal glands from cholesterol and then converted in the liver to DHEA and Progesterone, which then are ultimately converted into all the other key hormones, including Cortisol, Testosterone and the three Estrogens. Beginning at age 35, the body’s natural Pregnenolone levels start to decline. By age 50 they are 50% reduced and by age of 75 the body’s production of this essential brain hormone is almost totally depleted. It’s no wonder we associate memory decline, dementia and Alzheimer’s disease with aging.
Estrogens
A woman’s body produces three different Estrogens, in addition to DHEA, Progesterone and Testosterone which all start from cholesterol produced in the liver. The three types of estrogen are Estrone (E1), Estradiol (E2), and Estriol (E3). Estrone and Estradiol have now been shown to be carcinogenic when given by themselves, while Estriol has been found to be anticarcinogenic and therefore protect the body from the harmful effects of the other two.
However, all of the current estrogen drugs used in this country are combinations of synthetic copies of estrone and estradiol. Rather than admit they were wrong and open themselves up to millions of dollars in law suits, doctors and pharmaceutical companies in the U.S. continue to make the synthetic copies of the forms of estrogen that are known to be carcinogenic, although the safe estrogen, Estriol, has been prescribed in Europe for a number of years.
Doctors and pharmaceutical companies in the U.S. are either afraid to learn the truth and therefore don’t investigate it, or they are involved in a horrible cover-up that is killing thousands of women every year.
Estriol is considered the “forgotten” estrogen. Is has been labeled historically in the US as a weak or ineffective estrogen, while in Europe Estriol has been recognized for its benefits and has been used for years.
Low levels of Estriol place you at an increased risk for developing cancer. You should check all of your Estrogen levels annually to make sure that they are in a healthy balance. You should have 10 times more Estriol than Estradiol and 100 times more Progesterone than Estradiol.
With advancing age, a woman’s ovarian function declines, leading to a decline in the production of Estrogen. This decline leads to vasomotor instability that causes hot flashes. It also causes decreased muscle mass, which is then replaced by fibrous tissue. Thinning skin is due to a loss of connective tissue support and elasticity. Vaginal mucous membranes also become thin and dry and breast tissue diminishes and loses its firmness. Supplementing natural Estriol (E3) and balancing the levels of Estradiol and Estrone can help stop many of these undesirable effects associated with menopause.
Progesterone
Progesterone is mostly produced by the ovaries in women starting from cholesterol. It has its own unique hormonal functions, but a certain amount may also be converted into Estrone. Progesterone increases uterine secretions and stimulates calcium deposits into bone tissue. It also helps regulate salt, control blood sugar, calms the nervous system and promote a healthy thymus gland. Progesterone also activates GABA, the anti-anxiety and deep sleep Neurohormone. Perhaps the most important function of Progesterone is the activation of an anti-cancer protein known as Tumor Suppressor Protein, or p53. Supplementing natural Progesterone can help maintain these healthful benefits. You should have approximately 10 times more Progesterone than Estriol and 100 times more Progesterone than Estradiol for optimal health. You should make sure to check your levels annually.
DHEA
DHEA is the most abundant steroid in the body. DHEA is a steroid precursor produced by the adrenal gland and converted to Testosterone and the Estrogens. DHEA levels decrease dramatically with age. Adequate DHEA levels give the body the building blocks necessary to produce these hormones. Low levels of DHEA are associated with and increase in coronary artery disease, muscle wasting, abdominal fat and osteoporosis. Taking DHEA reverses these processes and may also increase the sense of well-being.
Testosterone
An optimally healthy man should have a Total Testosterone level of 700-900ng/dl. Women Women should have 5-10% of the Testosterone level of a healthy man, or 35-90ng/dl. Many women do not know that Testosterone is produced by both men and women. In fact, the steroid hormone Androstenedione is converted in both men and women to Testosterone first, then Testosterone is converted into Estradiol(E2), the major Estrogen secreted by the human ovary. When a woman’s ovarian function declines in the years before and during natural menopause, so does the amount of Testosterone she produces. In both Men and Women, the level of circulating Testosterone found between ages 20 to 40 declines by about 50%. If a woman starts synthetic Estrogen Replacement Therapy at menopause, her blood levels of Testosterone drop even further. Due to environmental plastics and pesticides and Estradiol fed to industrial dairy and beef cows, Testosterone in men has declined by approximately 23% compared to men just two decades ago.
Di-Hydro Testosterone (DHT) is another essential form of Testosterone required in a much smaller amount than regular Testosterone. In men DHT should be about 10% of the amount of Total Testosterone and in women about half of that in men. DHT is essential for male sexual development, facial, body and pubic hair. Excess DHT in women after puberty can cause hirsutism or excess hair on the arms of women. Excess DHT can cause acne in men and women and is associated with Poly Cystic Ovarian Syndrome in women. IN men and women excess DHT after puberty is associated with blocking hair follicles and hair loss. When DHT is elevated in men in can cause Benign Prostate Hypertrophy (BPH).
Low Testosterone levels increase the risk of all-cause-mortality. Symptoms of low Testosterone inlclude fatigue, muscle wasting, low sex drive, decreased sexual stimulation, and diminished sense of well-being, and most importantly an increased risk of joint pains, osteoprosis, heart attacks, diabetes and dementia. These risks and symptoms can be significantly reduces by Testosterone supplementation that yields an optimal level of Total and free Testosterone.
Sex Hormone Binding Globulin
SHBG is a protein that binds testosterone and estradiol and transports them in the blood. As a result, the SHBG level affects the amount of these hormones that are available in the body.
SHBG has a high binding affinity to Dihydrotestosterone (DHT), medium affinity to Testosterone and Estradiol, and only a low affinity to Estrone, DHEA, Androstenedione, and Estriol. Elevated SHBG levels can be seen in men and women with high estrogen levels or hyperthyroidism (high thyroid levels) and significant liver disease. SHBG levels also increase when women take oral contraceptives or oral Hormone Replacement Therapy. Pregnant women also have markedly higher SHBG serum concentrations due to their increased estrogen production.
Free Testosterone (Bioavailable Testosterone)
Free Testosterone is the biologically active Testosterone. It provides the best representation of the true functioning level of active Testosterone in the blood stream and its effects on the patient. Free testosterone is also referred to as Bio-Available Testosterone, or the Non-SHBG-bound Testosterone. By calculating the Free Testosterone from the ratio of total testosterone (TT) to SHBG [% FT = (TT / SHBG) x 100], it is possible to calculate the approximate amount of Free Testosterone (FT) that is circulating in the blood stream and available to perform the healthy functions of Testosterone.
Testing Details
Sample Type: Blood Serum
Collection Method: In person at Hansen Clinic or a Labcorp Draw Station located in most cities nationwide; A Requisition form will be sent to you through your client/patient portal.
Timing for Blood Testing: Test should be taken on day 21 of a 28-day cycle, or 7 days before the start of your next menstrual period. The first day of your bleeding menstrual period is considered day 1 of your menstrual cycle.
If you’re taking a supplement containing biotin (also called vitamin B7), commonly found in products promoting nail, skin and hair health, it is recommended that you wait at least 72 hours after your last dose before getting this blood test.
References
- Samsioe G. The endometrium: effects of estrogen and estrogen-progestogen replacement therapy. Int J Fertil Menopausal Stud 1994;39 Suppl 2:84-92
- Davis S. Androgen replacement in women: a commentary. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 1999 Jun;84(6):1886-91
- Watts NB. Hulka BS. Epidemilogical analysis of breast and gynecological cancers. Prog Clin Biol Res. 1997;396:17-29.
- Rosano GM, Panina G. Cardiovascular pharmacology of hormone replacement therapy. Drugs Aging 1999 Sep;15(3):219-34