Hormone Health Hub: Expert Insights on Testing, Balance & Better Living — hormone therapy monitoring

Saliva hormone testing is one of the most accurate and convenient ways to measure bioavailable hormones — the fraction that is actually active in your body's tissues. Unlike standard blood tests, which measure total hormone levels including protein-bound fractions that cells cannot use, saliva testing captures only the free, unbound hormones that drive real physiological effects. This guide explains how saliva testing works, which hormones it measures, why it is clinically superior for monitoring hormone therapy, and how to choose the right test for your health goals.

Dr David Zava of ZRT Laboratory explores how topical bioidentical hormone therapy (BHRT) distributes differently across body fluids — and why saliva and dried blood spot testing offer a more accurate picture of tissue hormone levels than serum or urine.

When sex hormone test results show both oestradiol (E2) and progesterone (Pg) within normal ranges, yet symptoms persist, the Pg/E2 ratio provides a critical additional layer of clinical insight. A low ratio points to oestrogen dominance; a high ratio to progesterone dominance — each requiring a different therapeutic response. This article explains how the ratio is calculated, when it is clinically relevant, and how a real-world case illustrates its practical value.

Over 25 million women enter menopause each year and face decisions about hormone replacement therapy. But HRT dosing is far from standardised — and the testing method used makes all the difference. This article explores why doses vary so widely and how saliva, blood spot and urine testing can help optimise outcomes.

In 1999, Tina Mattern was diagnosed with breast cancer and faced a terrifying choice of conventional treatments. Instead, she discovered the work of Dr. David Zava and ZRT Laboratory, and chose a path of natural hormone balancing, saliva testing and lifestyle change. This is her story — and her happy ending.