What can the Female Hormone Profile tell you about your health?
A simple test you can take at home can reveal important information about
your health - and possibly change your life.
Hormones: Your Body's Messengers
Hormones are chemicals your body produces to regulate various functions.
They do so by sending important messages and signals to various organs
and tissues. When they work harmoniously, your body behaves in a predictable
way. But if there is too much or too little of any one hormone, then imbalance
occurs and you can begin to feel that something is wrong. Wanted pregnancies
don't happen, the discomfort of PMS makes the days before menstruation
very difficult, or menstruation may occur irregularly or not occur at
all. This is when an accurate assessment of hormone balance can mean all
the difference in the world--and is the reason Great Smokies Diagnostic
Laboratory created the Female Hormone Profile.
Sex Hormones and the Bodies of Women
The most important groups of hormones for women are estrogens (especially
ß-estradiol) and progestins (like progesterone). In a healthy female body
they balance each other so phases of the menstrual cycle occur regularly.
When one is going down, the other is going up. Their synchronized cycle
repeats about every month (25 to 35 days). When the balance between estrogen
and progesterone is lost, your body may act in unpredictable ways. When
everything works normally, the menstrual cycle goes through appropriate
phases. For the first 10-16 days, a woman's body is getting eggs ready
for fertilization (pregnancy). Follicles grow in the ovaries. The tissue
in the womb prepares for a fertilized egg. If eggs are fertilized, then
the menstrual cycle is suspended for the nine months of pregnancy. The
body automatically produces appropriate amounts of both estrogen and progesterone.
These in turn stimulate secretions for nourishing the fertilized egg.
If fertilization doesn't occur, the nurturing environment created in the
womb rapidly changes. Hormone levels drop off quickly after about two
weeks, the womb cleanses itself through menstruation, and the process
is ready to repeat again.
When Imbalance Occurs
If sufficient estrogen is not available in the first two weeks of the
menstrual cycle, eggs are not stimulated to develop. This condition is
known as anovulation – which simply means that the body is not producing
eggs. When anovulation occurs repeatedly, it can cause infertility. A
year of unprotected sex without pregnancy occurring usually indicates
the condition of infertility. Prior to menstruation, an imbalance of progesterone
and estrogen can produce physical and emotional discomfort for women.
Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS) can result in bloating, headaches, mood swings,
and irritability. Too much estrogen, in relation to progesterone, or visa
versa, throws the body into a severely imbalanced state. The experience
of missing menstrual periods for months in a row can also result from
hormonal imbalance. Amenorrhea is a failure of menstruation for six months
in a woman with previously normal menstrual cycles. It is a condition
most common in women undergoing high intensity athletic training or stress,
who aren't making enough progesterone to trigger their menstrual cycles.
When it's time to move beyond the child-bearing years, women's estrogen
levels should gently fall, telling their bodies to cease preparing an
environment for fertilized eggs. When menstruation stops abruptly, menopause
brings with it some uncomfortable symptoms such as hot flashes and mood
swings. Estrogen depletion can also accelerate bone loss and increase
risk of heart disease. Natural or pharmaceutical hormone replacement therapy
can alleviate many of the symptoms. But if a woman takes too much estrogen
to replace this loss, the estrogen overload can lead to other health problems,
even cancer of the uterus or breasts.
A Comprehensive Testing and Targeted Therapy
There are safe and effective ways to synchronize hormone production, but
health care practitioners first need to know your hormone levels throughout
the monthly cycle. The Female Hormone Profile from Great Smokies Diagnostic
Laboratory analyzes eleven saliva samples taken at two- to three-day intervals
over a 28-day time period. Based on the patterns, health care practitioners
can recognize abnormal levels and deviation from the normal balanced menstrual
pattern. The Female Hormone Profile test report includes a graphic profile,
giving amounts of ß-estradiol and progesterone on each day saliva was
collected. Using this information, clinicians can precisely monitor estradiol
and progesterone activity. The patterns accurately revealed on the Profile
are then compared to normal patterns. In this way, the Female Hormone
Profile from Great Smokies Diagnostic Laboratory provides your clinician
information critical for designing a treatment program that's right for
you. It is often surprising how easy it is to feel good again.
This information is for educational purposes only. It is not meant for use as a diagnostic guide. Please consult directly with your physician for diagnosis and treatment options. Physicians may deem it medically necessary to order a single test or a portion of a profile.
Ask yourself:
If you answered yes to any of the following questions, you may want to ask your Health Care Provider about the Female Hormone Profile.
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