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Written by
Stacy Miller
Hormones act like chemical messengers in your body, carrying messages to your organs and tissues to ensure everything runs smoothly. Each hormone has a specific job, and when they work in harmony, your bodily systems remain in balance. However, when your hormone levels get out of whack, it can cause numerous issues ranging from mild to severe. Hormone testing lets you get a closer look into how well your body is working and make any necessary interventions to ensure you feel your best.
Before we discuss what a hormone imbalance is, it’s important to go over what hormones are and where they come from. As we discussed above, hormones are chemical messengers that tell your tissues and organs what to do. They travel through your bloodstream to their target cells and help control your bodily functions. For example, your hormones have a direct impact on your mood, your metabolism, and your development and growth.
Hormones are produced by the endocrine system through glands, which are located throughout your body. These include the pituitary gland, ovaries, adrenal glands, thyroid, hypothalamus, and more. If any of these glands don’t produce the right level of hormones, it can lead to a hormonal imbalance. In women, reproductive hormones like estrogen, progesterone, and even testosterone play a key role in their overall health. If you’re feeling “off,” you may wonder, “Are my hormones imbalanced?” One way to discover if you have a hormonal imbalance is by assessing and tracking different symptoms you’re experiencing.
If you think your hormones may be off, you’ll want to get them checked, but before you undergo hormonal imbalance testing, it’s important to know some of the causes and symptoms to look for. There are numerous potential causes of a hormonal imbalance, so it can be a bit tricky to find the root cause. These can include:
In addition, autoimmune conditions like Hashimoto’s disease and type 1 diabetes, adrenal glands, and pituitary tumors can affect hormone production.
The endocrine gland that’s affected determines which symptoms you may experience. For example, if your thyroid isn’t working properly, it can impact your metabolism. Your cortisol levels could be off if there’s persistent stress and your adrenal glands try to restore your body’s energy reserves. As the ovaries age, they begin producing too little estrogen and progesterone, causing symptoms of perimenopause.
Symptoms of a hormonal imbalance can include:
Experiencing these symptoms is the first clue that you may have a hormonal imbalance, but how do you know if your hormones are truly off?
If you’ve never struggled with a hormone imbalance before, you may not know what to look for. For many women, experiencing symptoms like the ones above is their first indication that something isn’t right. If you suspect you may have a hormone imbalance, it’s important to talk to your doctor, who can order a hormone blood test. They may also do a hormone urine test, depending on what hormones they believe are affected. Both of these tests are noninvasive and show the exact hormones that are out of balance. You can also use an at-home test to monitor reproductive hormones like estrogen and progesterone.
First of all, please note that a single female hormone imbalance test doesn’t exist. It can refer to a hormone panel when you decide to go to a professional lab or a kit for at-home testing of different hormone metabolites.
Hormone testing is a valuable tool that can give you comprehensive insights into your hormonal health. Knowing how to get your hormones checked is an important part of receiving accurate results.
The female hormone test list contains vital hormones that regulate your bodily functions. Unlike a general hormone panel test, they look at specific reproductive hormones, like:
As Hormonas know, a woman’s hormones play a vital role in their overall health, controlling everything from mood and metabolism to their reproductive health. While knowing how to check hormone levels is great, understanding why testing is necessary is equally important. Getting a hormone level test is essential if you believe your hormone levels are off since it will help you make an informed decision on treatment moving forward. Here are a few of the top reasons you should get a women’s hormone testing panel if you experience any of the symptoms we discussed above.
As with any medical diagnosis, performing a test for hormonal imbalance check once you begin experiencing symptoms is the best way to detect hormone issues early. Testing as soon as possible allows you to identify and treat many common hormonal conditions like polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), perimenopause and menopause, thyroid imbalances, and more.
Testing your hormones is essential if you’re experiencing fertility issues. Determining whether the problem is tied to ovulation, fertilization, implantation, age, or other factors will allow your doctor to create a customized treatment plan. The earlier you can begin treatment, the greater your chances of experiencing a successful pregnancy or determining your next steps going forward.
Similar to fertility planning, hormonal imbalance testing allows you and your doctor to develop a customized treatment plan based on the hormones affected. Having the exact hormone test results ensures you follow an approach that is effective for your unique needs.
Once you’ve learned how to check for hormone imbalances and receive your diagnosis, you can begin symptom management. There are numerous symptoms associated with hormone imbalances, like irregular menstrual cycles, fatigue, weight fluctuations, and mood swings, which can really impact your daily life. Testing lets you get to the root causes so you can work with your doctor to manage your symptoms so you can feel better.
The short answer is when your symptoms are disturbing enough to affect your daily routine or when any unusual symptoms appear that are not normal for you.
Knowing how to test for hormonal imbalance is the first step toward hormone health, but when you test is just as important. The time that you test is based on the type of testing you receive, where you are in your menstrual cycle, and if you’re on hormonal contraceptives. Urine and blood hormone testing should be done first thing in the morning since that’s when your hormone levels are at their highest.
For women who have a regular menstrual cycle, when you test is determined by the hormones you’re testing. For example, progesterone testing should be done during the mid-luteal phase of your cycle, around 21 days after your period. For estrogen levels, test on days 5, 12, and 21 of your cycle if your cycle is 24 days.
FSH levels are commonly tested at the beginning of your cycle, between days 2 and 5.
For women who are on hormonal contraceptives or have irregular menstrual cycles, testing can be done at any point, but it’s best to talk to your doctor and follow their instructions. Ovarian hormones, FSH, and LH, are not tested while on contraceptives unless there is a specific reason for that. Blood cortisol level testing should be done in the morning when hormone concentrations are at their highest.
Now that you’re more familiar with how to get hormones tested, it’s time to go over the different types of testing available. While there are many different tests available, most types include blood, urine, and saliva.
A hormonal blood test involves having a small blood sample drawn by a healthcare professional, generally from a vein in your hand or arm. Once taken, they’ll send the sample to a lab where it’s analyzed. Many doctors prefer hormone blood tests, especially for first-time testing, since they’re accurate and give valuable insights into your overall hormonal health. With a blood test, your doctor can see a variety of results, including:
Using the results of your hormonal blood test, your doctor can develop a treatment plan to help rebalance your hormones or treat any newly diagnosed conditions.
If you’re wondering how to test hormone levels at home, a urine test can be a great option! While not as potent as blood tests, urine tests are still excellent at detecting hormonal levels, identifying some health conditions, and monitoring hormonal treatment effectiveness. Following the directions of the testing facility or your doctor, you’ll collect either a single hormone sample or numerous during a 24-hour timespan. You’ll then send the sample to a laboratory, which will analyze it for specific metabolites or hormones. Once done, they’ll provide you with the results, which you can go over with your doctor.
There are also at-home hormone urine tests, which offer insights into specific hormones like hCG, FSH, LH, estrogen, or progesterone. You can gain insights into whether and potentially when you are ovulating, confirm if ovulation has occurred, and determine if you are pregnant or entering perimenopause. Hormona is proud to offer trusted urine hormone tests that check FSH, estrogen and progesterone levels and send the results right to your phone!
Another at-home testing option is a hormonal saliva test. To perform this test, you’ll provide a saliva sample on a swab or in a tube and send it to a laboratory for testing. They’ll analyze the hormone levels and provide the results to your doctor. Many women prefer saliva tests since they’re noninvasive, convenient, and are considered accurate and reliable. With a hormone saliva test, you can see:
If you’re wondering, “Where can I get my hormones tested,” you can choose between your doctor’s office, testing facility, or at home, depending on the type of hormone test you’re taking. Your doctor will let you know which one fits your specific needs so you can get the most accurate results.
If you believe you have a hormonal imbalance, you don’t want to waste time or risk having an inaccurate test. You want to get to the root of the problem so you can begin treating it and start feeling better. Now that you know which tests are available, you’re probably thinking, “I would love some tips on how to get my hormones tested.” Well, don’t worry; we’ve got you covered with these helpful tips on how to check your hormone levels and get them tested accordingly.
As women, we often suffer in silence when we experience health symptoms. It may be because you’re embarrassed, afraid, unsure, or maybe you don’t think your symptoms mean anything, but your doctor is there to help you. They can suggest which tests to take based on your symptoms and create a treatment plan from the results.
If your hormones are out of balance, you can incorporate some lifestyle adjustments like changing your diet, exercising, managing stress, and getting more sleep. Testing after making these changes can give you valuable insights into what is causing your hormonal imbalance.
At-home tests are an excellent way to keep an eye on your hormones from the comfort of your home. You can use hormonal testing kits that analyze estrogen and progesterone levels or ovulation tests that track LH and estrogen levels.
Tracking your menstrual cycle is a key part of monitoring your hormones. Since hormonal fluctuations are a normal part of your cycle, it will help you know if you’re experiencing natural ups and downs or if you’re truly imbalanced.
A hormonal test can provide valuable insights into your hormonal health. While there are numerous reasons why your hormones can get out of whack, having the ability to monitor them can make it easier to develop a treatment plan. The Hormona app is proud to offer comprehensive at-home hormone tracking, which lets you take control of your health. Our hormone testing kits offer fast results you can see on your phone, making it easier than ever to track your hormone health.
How do you fix hormone imbalance?
A hormonal imbalance is treated with a combination of medical intervention and lifestyle changes.
How can I check my hormone levels myself?
At-home hormone test kits like the ones offered by Hormona allow you to monitor your hormone levels quickly and easily with just a urine sample.
How often is it recommended for women to have their hormone levels checked?
Please keep in mind that healthcare regulatory institutions do not recommend testing your hormone levels without a specific purpose, as the results can lead to unnecessary anxiety, additional testing, and medical interventions. However, if you are experiencing disturbing symptoms or have a health condition, you may require a specific testing schedule.
You can still test your hormone levels out of curiosity about your health; just keep in mind that lifestyle factors have a significant impact on hormone fluctuations. As a result, you may have some atypical results even without severe symptoms, which could normalize after the disturbing factor is addressed.
How often you check your hormone levels depends on numerous factors like your age, symptom severity, if you’re trying to conceive, family history, and if you’re taking hormone replacement therapy.
Why won’t my doctor check my hormone levels?
Having your doctor refuse to take your hormone levels can be incredibly frustrating, especially if you’re experiencing uncomfortable symptoms. There may be different reasons for this decision, and one of them is that hormonal testing isn’t necessary to provide treatment.
Does insurance cover female hormone testing?
Some insurance plans will cover hormonal testing, but it could depend on factors like your diagnosis and the medical necessity of being tested. You can contact your insurance provider to see if hormone testing is included in your plan.
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Dr Singh is the Medical Director of the Indiana Sleep Center. His research and clinical practice focuses on the myriad of sleep.
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