After your purchase has been processed, your test kit will be mailed to you directly, arriving within 3-5 business days (unless shipping internationally).

We will email you detailed test instructions, including specific instructions for WHEN to test (based on your cycle / no cycles) and how to test if currently taking birth control or hormone medications. Note: men may test any day of the month.

Additional instructions will be included within your test kits, and we also suggest viewing the below videos. 

SALIVA COLLECTION INSTRUCTIONS

If you have purchased a saliva test, your test kit will come with everything you need to collect your samples and return them to the laboratory for analysis.

Below are some general instructions for testing (but we will email you a much more detailed list of instructions after purchase).

• 4 collection tubes for morning/afternoon/evening/bedtime samples (MUST be completed within the same day)
• Women with a regular cycle should test on either day 19, 20 or 21 of cycle (first day of cycle is day 1) - we will send more specific instructions based on varying cycle lengths
  
• Women without cycles or with an irregular cycle may test any day of the month that they are not bleeding
  
• Men may test any day of the month.
  
• If using hormone medications or birth control, note where indicated on the test requisition form included in kit.
  
• Mark all symptoms, e.g. mild, moderate, or severe on the provided requisition form (in your kit)
  
• Pre-paid USPS shipping envelope provided for easy return of samples to the lab for processing
  
• Saliva can be stored in fridge or freezer if not mailed immediately
  
• Your results will be ready 7-10 biz days from the time the lab receives your samples
  
• Once results have been received, the team will reach out with next steps (including your rebalancing education, guide and/or consultation scheduling details!).
  

**Note: if you have received a second kit to retest your hormones at a later date, make sure to keep it somewhere room temp and dry. You will want to retest your hormones (following the same instructions as above) 2-4 months after receiving your first results**

WHY DO WE PREFER SALIVA HORMONE TESTING VS. STANDARD BLOOD TESTING...WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE?

As far as using saliva instead of traditional blood tests – science proves it far more telling than the latter. Here are the primary reasons:

#1. Saliva testing allows convenient home collection that is pain free and non-invasive, thus does not create a stress response (i.e. skin pricked with a needle for a blood draw!) that can skew test results.

 #2. Saliva tests measure “bioavailable" hormone levels that are active in the target tissues of the body (where hormones do their work!) and thus, results correlate much more closely with reported symptoms. Standard blood tests measure inactive hormones still bound to carrier proteins in the blood stream.

 #3. Standard blood tests do not show us the PG/E2 ratio, a very useful measure for determining estrogen dominance, an imbalance characterized by an excess of estrogen to progesterone linked to heavy painful periods, weight gain, bloating, PMS/mood swings, hypothyroid and higher risks for breast cancer.

 #4. Saliva allows stress-free collection of cortisol samples at 4 specific time points over the course of one day for more accurate charting of normal adrenal function and the diurnal pattern. Cortisol or “stress” patterns (a major indicator of adrenal function), cannot be accurately measured in a standard blood draw using needles that trigger a stress response and skew test results. 

 #5. Saliva samples are collected during a specific time in your cycle (for those with regular cycles), generally days 19-21 following ovulation, when hormones are surging in the luteal phase. However, those with no cycles or irregular cycles can accurately test any day of the month they are not bleeding. Men may also test any day of the month.

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Note: There are other ways to measure hormones - such as in urine, which is far more accurate than standard blood testing as well. However, we still prefer saliva testing in our practice, and do not currently interpret urine (Dutch) testing.

We also want to acknowledge that some doctors can measure 'bioavailable' hormone levels in blood, but this is not typically the case in a standard blood draw and is less commonly offered by traditional doctors.