Blog — female hormones

Infertility is an increasingly common issue, affecting over 22% of married women who struggle to conceive or carry a pregnancy to term. While physical causes like anovulation, tubal damage, or endometriosis account for many cases, hormonal imbalances are often overlooked yet highly treatable contributors to infertility. The ZRT Fertility Profile offers a comprehensive and convenient way to evaluate hormone levels that are essential for conception and pregnancy maintenance. By testing markers like FSH, LH, estradiol, progesterone, testosterone, thyroid hormones, and cortisol, this profile helps identify conditions such as ovarian insufficiency, luteal phase deficiency, PCOS, thyroid dysfunction, and stress-related hormonal disruption. Samples can be collected easily at home through fingerstick blood and saliva on specific days of the menstrual cycle, ensuring accurate and timely results. Early identification of hormonal imbalances empowers women to take corrective action—often through simple lifestyle changes or targeted therapies—before turning to more invasive fertility treatments. Whether you’ve been trying to conceive without success, experienced recurrent miscarriages, or are planning ahead for pregnancy, ZRT’s Fertility Profile provides critical insights to help you and your healthcare provider take proactive steps toward reproductive health and success.

Fertility Mapping: Navigating Fertility with PCOS and Insulin Resistance (Part II)By Dr. Alison McAllister Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) is a complex, multifactorial condition influenced by disruptions in hormone receptors, metabolism, neurotransmitter function, and nutrient balance. As a lifelong disorder, PCOS is a leading contributor to infertility, weight gain, and an increased risk for cardiometabolic issues. In this blog post, we dive deeper into laboratory testing, helping healthcare providers understand which tests are critical for women suspected of having PCOS. Lab Testing for PCOS PCOS is most commonly diagnosed through the Rotterdam Criteria, a diagnostic framework that considers various indicators, including...

  In the realm of healthcare diagnostics, testing for various hormonal levels holds significant importance in understanding an individual's health. Traditionally, blood testing has been the norm for assessing hormone levels. However, the emergence of saliva testing has brought about a new dimension in evaluating hormones. Saliva testing provides a non-invasive and convenient method for individuals to collect their samples, allowing for a more accurate representation of bioavailable hormones – those readily accessible to target tissues. The Significance of Saliva Testing Saliva testing measures the unbound, bioavailable fraction of hormones, which stands in contrast to blood tests that often reflect...

HORMONE BALANCE: The Key to Health The human body is a marvel of interconnected systems, and one crucial player in this symphony of functions is the endocrine system. A collection of glands dispersed throughout the body, the endocrine system works collectively to produce and regulate hormones. These chemical messengers play a vital role in maintaining balance and ensuring the proper functioning of various bodily processes. The Endocrine SymphonyHormones, produced by glands within the endocrine system, are released into the bloodstream, traveling throughout the body to reach specific target tissues. These chemicals act as switches, turning on or off specific functions...

By Dr Nina Silberstein, BA. Women who are in perimenopause, menopause or post-menopause sometimes feel like they’re living in a different body. Many have a hard time losing or controlling their weight—whether it’s due to shifting and declining hormones and a slowing down of metabolism combined with stress. We sat down with integrative physician, Jade Teta, to talk about the role of hormones and weight, why he thinks some women are having difficulty losing or controlling their weight, and what they can do about it. As a practitioner of naturopathic medicine, Dr. Teta is an expert in nutrition, exercise, and...