Female Complete Saliva Hormone Profile
Concerned About Changes in Your Periods, Energy, Sleep, Mood or Libido?
Hormonal symptoms can overlap, making it difficult to understand which findings deserve attention.
The Female Complete Saliva Hormone Profile measures estradiol, progesterone, testosterone and DHEAS. It also compares your cortisol level upon waking with your level before bed.
This test helps answer two practical questions:
How do my measured hormone levels compare with the laboratory ranges?
How does my cortisol level differ between morning and bedtime?
Your ZRT Laboratory report presents six individual results with reference ranges, visual graphs and hormone-specialist laboratory comments. These comments explain relevant findings and suggest useful next steps to consider.
- Six results from two saliva samples
- Measures five different hormones
- Includes reproductive, androgen and adrenal hormone measurements
- Compares morning and bedtime cortisol
- Collect at home without needles or a clinic appointment
- Hormone-specialist interpretation included
- Laboratory analysis included
- Normally reported within 3–5 working days after the laboratory receives your samples
Is This Test Right for Me?
This profile may be suitable if you want to explore concerns such as:
- Changes in menstrual regularity
- PMS, including mood changes, bloating or breast tenderness
- Perimenopausal or menopausal changes
- Reduced libido or changes in sexual wellbeing
- Persistent tiredness or reduced energy
- Difficulty becoming alert in the morning
- Poor sleep or difficulty winding down at night
- Mood changes, irritability or difficulty concentrating
- Changes in wellbeing during periods of sustained pressure
- Wanting more information than a single hormone result provides
It may also be useful if you want:
- A broader female hormone assessment
- Morning and bedtime cortisol measured alongside sex hormones
- A baseline for comparison with future tests
- Results to discuss with your healthcare professional
- Laboratory information to support a practitioner-led review of hormone treatment, where appropriate
These concerns can have several possible causes. This profile measures the listed hormones; it does not establish one definitive cause for menstrual changes, tiredness, sleep problems, mood changes or reduced libido.
What Will My Results Help Me Understand?
1. Review Your Estradiol Result
Estradiol is a key oestrogen. Your report shows the amount measured in your saliva and compares it with the applicable laboratory range.
Benefit: You receive an objective result to consider alongside your age, menstrual stage, symptoms and any hormone treatment.
2. Consider Progesterone Alongside Estradiol
Progesterone is interpreted in the context of your menstrual status and collection timing.
Benefit: Measuring estradiol and progesterone together gives your specialist more information than either result alone when reviewing menstrual, perimenopausal or menopausal concerns.
The test reports each hormone separately. It does not establish the cause of menstrual symptoms or determine a treatment by itself.
3. Review Testosterone and DHEAS
The profile also measures testosterone and DHEAS.
Benefit: These results provide additional information to consider alongside concerns about sexual wellbeing, energy or physical health.
DHEAS is produced mainly by the adrenal glands and is involved in the production of other steroid hormones.
4. Compare Morning and Bedtime Cortisol
Cortisol is measured upon waking and again before bed.
Benefit: The two measurements show how your cortisol level differs between the beginning and end of your waking day. This may be useful when discussing morning tiredness, evening restlessness, difficulty winding down or disrupted sleep.
This is a two-point comparison. It does not provide the complete daily pattern shown by a four-point cortisol profile.
5. Decide What to Do Next
Your results are accompanied by individualised hormone-specialist laboratory comments.
Benefit: You receive an explanation of relevant findings rather than a set of unexplained numbers. Depending on your results and the information supplied on your requisition form, the comments may:
- Highlight results that deserve further discussion
- Consider your menstrual or menopausal status
- Refer to relevant symptoms, medicines or hormone treatments
- Suggest practical areas to review with your healthcare professional
- Indicate whether additional testing may provide useful information
- Identify results that may be suitable for future comparison
What Will My Report Include?
Your ZRT Laboratory report includes:
- Your estradiol result
- Your progesterone result
- Your testosterone result
- Your DHEAS result
- Separate morning and bedtime cortisol results
- Laboratory reference ranges
- Visual graphs showing where your results fall
- Clear indicators for results outside the applicable ranges
- Your recorded sample-collection dates and times
- Your menstrual status, where applicable
- Relevant medicines and hormone treatments reported on your form
- Your reported symptoms, where applicable
- Individualised hormone-specialist laboratory comments
- Suggested considerations or next steps based on the findings
The specialist interpretation is included within your ZRT Laboratory report.
Providing complete information about your symptoms, menstrual status, medicines, supplements and hormone treatments helps make the laboratory comments more relevant to you.
What Does the Test Measure?
| Result | What it adds to your assessment |
|---|---|
| Estradiol (E2) | Provides a key oestrogen measurement to consider alongside your life stage, symptoms and hormone use |
| Progesterone | Adds information about reproductive hormone levels when collected at the appropriate stage of your cycle |
| Testosterone | Measures an androgen relevant to female sexual and physical wellbeing |
| DHEAS | Measures an adrenal androgen involved in the production of other sex hormones |
| Morning cortisol | Shows your cortisol level at the beginning of your waking day |
| Bedtime cortisol | Allows comparison with your morning cortisol result |
The profile measures five different hormones and provides six individual results because cortisol is measured twice.
Saliva testing measures the unbound fraction of these hormones present in the samples. Saliva and blood tests measure hormones differently, so their results and reference ranges should not be used interchangeably.
Test Details
Test ID: S-145
Test panel: LCMS Hormones 5 with 2-Point Cortisol
Sample type: Saliva
Different hormones measured: 5
Results reported: 6
Samples required: 2 — upon waking and before bed
Testing method: LC-MS/MS
Laboratory: ZRT Laboratory — CLIA-certified
Hormone specialist interpretation: Included within the laboratory report
Suitable for: Adults and children able to provide the required saliva volume
Collection: At home — no clinic visit required
Laboratory reporting time: Normally 3–5 working days after the laboratory receives your samples
Kit validity: Use within 12 months of purchase
What Is Included?
Your purchase includes:
- At-home saliva collection kit
- One large morning collection tube
- One small bedtime collection tube
- Test Requisition Form
- Step-by-step collection instructions
- Laboratory analysis of six results
- Laboratory reference-range comparisons
- Visual result graphs
- Individualised hormone-specialist laboratory comments
- Suggested next steps or considerations
- Digital ZRT Laboratory report
- Laboratory analysis fee
Return postage to the laboratory is arranged and paid for separately by the customer.
How It Works
1. Choose Your Collection Day
If you have periods, use the cycle-timing guidance below.
Women who do not have periods and children can collect on any day. If you use hormone treatment, follow the treatment-specific timing instructions.
2. Collect Your Morning Sample
Begin collecting into the large 10 mL tube within 30 minutes of waking.
Do not eat, drink anything other than water or brush your teeth before collecting.
3. Collect Your Bedtime Sample
Collect into one small 5 mL tube before bed on the same day.
Avoid food, drinks other than water and toothbrushing for two hours before collecting.
4. Send Your Samples
Complete the Test Requisition Form and return both labelled samples using the supplied packaging and return instructions.
5. Receive Your Explained Results
Your report is normally issued by email within 3–5 working days after the laboratory receives your samples.
Kit delivery and return-postage time are separate from this laboratory reporting period.
When Should I Collect My Samples?
For estradiol, progesterone and testosterone testing, use the following collection schedule:
| Your cycle or situation | Collection day |
|---|---|
| Regular cycle lasting 23–26 days | Day 17, 18 or 19 |
| Regular cycle lasting 27–30 days | Day 21, 22 or 23 |
| Regular cycle lasting 31–34 days | Day 25, 26 or 27 |
| Shorter or longer regular cycle | 5–7 days before your next expected period |
| Infrequent or unpredictable periods | Any non-bleeding day |
| No menstrual periods | Any day, following treatment-timing instructions where applicable |
| Children | Any day |
| Using hormone treatment | Follow the treatment-specific collection instructions |
Day 1 is the first day of menstrual flow, not spotting. Collect both samples on the same chosen day.
Which Female Hormone Test Should I Choose?
| What do you want to understand? | Suggested test |
|---|---|
| Estradiol, progesterone, testosterone, DHEAS and one morning cortisol result | Female Saliva Hormone Profile I |
| The same five hormones, with cortisol compared upon waking and before bed | Female Complete Saliva Hormone Profile |
| Estradiol, progesterone and testosterone with cortisol measured at four points across the day | Female Saliva Hormone Profile II |
| Estradiol, progesterone, testosterone and DHEAS with a four-point daily cortisol profile | Comprehensive Female Saliva Hormone Profile |
Choose the Female Complete profile if you want the same core hormones as Profile I but would also benefit from comparing cortisol upon waking and before bed.
If your symptoms change around midday or during the afternoon, a four-point cortisol profile may provide more relevant information.
Preparing for Your Test
To help produce usable samples:
- Avoid anti-ageing or anti-wrinkle facial creams and biotin supplements for three days before collection.
- Record all medicines, supplements, hormone treatments and menstrual information on your Test Requisition Form.
- Collect the morning sample within 30 minutes of waking.
- Do not eat, drink anything other than water or brush your teeth before the morning sample.
- Avoid food, drinks other than water and toothbrushing for two hours before the bedtime sample.
- Rinse your mouth with water and wait five minutes before each collection.
- Fill each required tube at least halfway, excluding bubbles.
- Label both tubes with your name, collection date and collection time.
- Freeze the samples if they will not be posted within 24 hours.
If you use HRT, corticosteroids, troches or hormones dissolved under the tongue, follow the treatment-specific instructions before collecting. An alternative sample type may be recommended for some treatments.
Read the full Saliva Collection Instructions and follow the S-145 two-sample schedule.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does This Test Measure Five or Six Hormones?
It measures five different hormones:
- Estradiol
- Progesterone
- Testosterone
- DHEAS
- Cortisol
Cortisol is measured twice, so the report contains six individual results.
How Many Saliva Samples Do I Need?
Two samples collected on the same day:
- One in the large tube within 30 minutes of waking
- One in a small tube before bed
Your kit may contain additional tubes that are not required for S-145.
Does the Report Include Specialist Interpretation?
Yes. Hormone-specialist laboratory comments are included within your ZRT Laboratory report.
The comments explain relevant findings and may suggest points to discuss, practical areas to review or further assessment to consider. They are not a separate medical consultation.
How Does This Differ From Female Saliva Hormone Profile I?
Both profiles measure estradiol, progesterone, testosterone, DHEAS and morning cortisol.
The Female Complete profile adds a bedtime cortisol result, allowing comparison between the beginning and end of your waking day.
Does This Test Show My Complete Daily Cortisol Pattern?
No. It compares cortisol upon waking and before bed.
If you want to see how cortisol changes at four points from morning to bedtime, choose a profile containing a four-point cortisol assessment.
Will the Results Explain My Symptoms?
The results show whether the measured hormone levels fall within the applicable laboratory ranges and provide individualised laboratory comments.
This offers useful information, but menstrual changes, tiredness, sleep problems and reduced libido can have several possible causes. The test does not establish that a particular hormone is responsible for your symptoms.
Can I Use This Test After Menopause?
Yes. Women who no longer have periods can collect on any day.
If you use HRT or another hormone treatment, follow the treatment-specific collection instructions.
Can I Use This Test While Taking HRT?
It may be suitable depending on the treatment and how it is administered.
Continue prescribed treatment as directed, record all hormone use on the Test Requisition Form and follow the treatment-specific collection instructions. An alternative sample type may be recommended for troches or hormones taken under the tongue.
The results provide hormone measurements to discuss with your healthcare professional. They do not assess the safety or effectiveness of HRT by themselves.
What If My Periods Are Irregular?
If your periods are infrequent or unpredictable, collect on any non-bleeding day.
Include your menstrual history on the Test Requisition Form to provide context for your results.
Is the Test Suitable for Children?
Yes, provided the child can supply the required amount of saliva. Include their age, symptoms and reason for testing so the results can be considered appropriately.
How Quickly Will I Receive My Results?
The laboratory normally reports within 3–5 working days after receiving your samples. Kit delivery and return-postage times are additional.
Does the Price Include Laboratory Analysis?
Yes. The collection kit, laboratory analysis, digital report and hormone-specialist laboratory comments are included.
You are responsible for arranging and paying for return postage to the laboratory.
How Long Can I Keep the Kit?
Use the kit within 12 months of purchase.
Where Can I Find the Full Collection Instructions?
Download the Saliva Collection Instructions and follow the S-145 two-sample schedule.
Not Sure Whether This Is the Right Test?
Email info@hormonelab.co.uk with your age, main symptoms, menstrual status, medicines and current treatments. Our team will forward your enquiry to our specialist doctors and respond with a suggested testing option within 24 hours.
