DUTCH Test Hormones
For many people, traditional blood tests fail to identify the root causes of hormonal imbalances and the corresponding symptoms. At Root, we use the DUTCH Complete at-home hormone test as a simple way to get detailed insights into your hormone health.
In this article, we’ll review the DUTCH test for hormones, what we can learn from the test, how to take an at-home hormone test, and interpretation of results.
What is the DUTCH test?
DUTCH stands for dried urine test for comprehensive hormones. This at-home hormone testing kit provides a comprehensive snapshot of your hormone levels, how your body metabolizes them, and other hints about nutrient status. The DUTCH Complete test looks at 35 hormone levels related to the following:
- Estrogen and estrogen metabolites: key for understanding PMS, heavy periods, and estrogen detox pathways
- Progesterone: confirms ovulation; important for evaluating irregular cycles, anxiety, and fertility concerns
- Testosterone: helpful for investigating symptoms like low energy, acne, and reduced libido
- DHEA: reflects adrenal function and stress response; imbalances may cause fatigue, anxiety, or acne
- Cortisol and cortisone: for a full picture of adrenal function and your stress response; helpful for assessing insomnia, mood disorders, and difficulty losing weight
- Melatonin: evaluating your sleep-wake cycle
- Organic acids: not a hormone, but helpful for evaluating b-vitamin levels, oxidative stress, and neurotransmitters, like serotonin
Imbalances in these hormones are often the root cause of common symptoms, so it’s essential to use an accurate test, like DUTCH, and work with a functional medicine provider trained in interpreting the results.
How to take the DUTCH test at home
The DUTCH Complete test is a simple, at-home hormone test using dried urine samples collected over the course of one day. You'll receive a kit in the mail with easy instructions to collect samples at four time points throughout the day by urinating on special paper strips. This approach offers a more complete picture than a standard blood test, which captures hormone levels at a single moment in time and often misses important patterns. Because hormones like cortisol fluctuate throughout the day, DUTCH testing allows for a more accurate view of hormone production.
Timing is crucial to get accurate results with the DUTCH test. For most women, we generally recommend taking the DUTCH test at home on days 19-21 of a 28-day cycle. The goal is to capture your hormone levels 5-7 days after ovulation to clearly assess progesterone and estrogen balance. If your cycle is irregular or if you’re unsure if you ovulate, we can help you choose the best timing and provide further guidance.
Who may benefit from at-home hormone testing?
Hormones influence nearly every aspect of how you feel like your energy, mood, metabolism, sleep, and more. Symptoms that may prompt you to consider at-home hormone testing with DUTCH include:
- PMS
- Irregular cycles
- Anxiety, depression, or mood swings
- Insomnia
- Perimenopausal or menopausal symptoms
- Hair loss and/or abnormal hair growth
- Acne
- Fatigue
- Fertility concerns
Hormone testing is only as valuable as the interpretation and action steps that come from it. The DUTCH Complete test is incredibly detailed and often difficult to interpret. When you order your test through Root, one of our doctors will review your results and provide clear, expert guidance with treatment recommendations.
At-home hormone testing for perimenopause and menopause
The DUTCH test is especially helpful for women in perimenopause or menopause because it reveals how shifting levels of estrogen, progesterone, DHEA, and cortisol may be contributing to symptoms like hot flashes, poor sleep, mood changes, and weight gain. It also evaluates how well your body is detoxifying estrogen, which can play a role in symptom severity during this stage of life.
Key Takeaways
Whether you’re struggling with fatigue, irregular cycles, perimenopause symptoms or more, the DUTCH at-home hormone test can offer a deeper look at your hormone health and how it’s contributing to your unwanted symptoms. When you order your DUTCH test through us, you’ll receive personalized and written insights of your results from a Root doctor to help you take meaningful action. Ready to get to the root of your symptoms? Order your DUTCH Complete hormone test today.
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