DUTCH COMPLETE HORMONE TEST

This test is a comprehensive assessment of sex and adrenal hormones and their metabolites. It also includes the daily, free cortisol pattern, organic acids, melatonin (6-OHMS), and 8-OHdG.

Patients collect just four or five dried urine samples over a 24-hour period. Dried samples are stable for several weeks making them convenient to ship worldwide.

Pairing the DUTCH test WITH other functional labs such as a hair tissue mineral analysis (HTMA) and a GI MAP Stool Test can be very helpful in pinpointing not just what your hormones are doing, but WHY they are out of balance or need more support.

Remember that when hormone go haywire (cortisol, estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, etc) there is always a reason WHY. While the DUTCH is very helpful, it’s not necessarily the first lab I recommend accessing. 

DUTCH vs. Saliva Testing

While the free cortisol pattern in saliva has clinical value, there is a significant missing piece to surveying a patient’s HPA-Axis function with saliva testing – measuring cortisol metabolites. To properly characterize a patient’s cortisol status, free and metabolized cortisol should be measured to avoid misleading results when cortisol clearance is abnormally high or low. Likewise with sex hormones, measuring estrogen and androgen metabolites gives a fuller picture for more precise clinical diagnosis of hormonal imbalances and HRT monitoring.

DUTCH vs. Serum Testing

While the most universally accepted testing method (due to the availability of FDA-cleared analyzers that are reliable and inexpensive), serum testing is lacking in some areas. Adrenal hormones cannot be effectively tested in serum because free cortisol cannot be tested throughout the day. There is also a lack of extensive metabolite testing (especially for cortisol and estrogens).

DUTCH vs. 24-Hour Urine Testing

There are two primary drawbacks to 24-hour urine testing of hormones. First, the collection is cumbersome, and as many as 40% of those who collect, do so in error (Tanaka, 2002). Secondly, dysfunction in the diurnal pattern of cortisol cannot be ascertained from a 24-hour collection. Some providers add saliva for daily free cortisol. DUTCH eliminates the need for two tests.

If you have questions on this test, click the button below to email me: hello@margaretpowell.com.