Hormone Health Hub: Expert Insights on Testing, Balance & Better Living — sex hormone binding globulin

Discover the benefits of hormone testing in saliva, dried blood spot, and dried urine spot methods. Learn how each approach enhances accuracy, convenience, and health insights for hormone balance.

By Dr. Allison Smith, ZRT Laboratory Sex Hormone Binding Globulin (SHBG) is one of the most overlooked variables in hormone health. It directly controls how much testosterone is biologically active in your body — yet it rarely appears on standard blood panels. Whether you're dealing with symptoms of low testosterone, androgen excess, or unexplained hormonal imbalance, understanding SHBG is essential to getting the full picture. What is SHBG? SHBG is a protein produced primarily in the liver that binds tightly to testosterone — and to a lesser degree, Estradiol (E2) and dihydrotestosterone (DHT) — and carries them through the bloodstream....

Hormonal contraception suppresses ovarian function, which means saliva and blood spot hormone test results will appear artificially low — but this doesn’t mean hormone levels at the tissue level are low. This guide explains how to interpret hormone test results correctly when using the pill, patch, ring or IUD, and when to collect your sample for the most meaningful data.

Prostate cancer takes years to develop from a normal cell to a detectable tumour — which means there is a meaningful window for prevention. Three key risk factors are both testable and modifiable: BPA exposure, arsenic accumulation, and catechol oestrogen imbalance. This article explains how each one works and what men can do about it.