Blog — Hormone Balance

Weight management is a topic that continues to captivate the attention of many individuals seeking a healthier lifestyle. Whether you're looking to shed a few pounds or embark on a significant weight loss journey, understanding the complexities of your body's hormones can make a substantial difference. Hormone testing is a valuable tool that provides insights into the intricate mechanisms influencing weight gain and loss. In this blog, we will explore the significance of hormone testing in weight management and the benefits it offers in achieving successful weight loss.Understanding Hormones and Weight Management:Hormones play a vital role in regulating various bodily...

By ZRT Laboratory Consultants.  Menopause can be a confusing time for many women and their families, and as a society we tend to steer away from having open, honest conversations about this very important transition in a woman’s life. At ZRT, we aim to change that and equip all women with the tools and resources necessary to maintain optimal health during their menopause transition and after. In this post, ZRT’s Clinical Consultants tackle the most commonly asked questions and misunderstandings about menopause from patients. What Age Does Menopause Occur? Menopause is defined as the natural absence of menstrual periods for...

By Dr Kate Placzek, ZRT Laboratory We love talking about the sun! We grumble about it being hidden away behind heavy rain clouds for months at a time in the winter; we delight in the first breakthrough rays in the spring, realizing our pagan longing for it, watching, as if for the first time, as everything around us wakes up from a deep slumber; we marvel at its delightful, almost intoxicating warmth in the early summer; and yes, we find it irritating when the temperature goes a dash over 80 degrees, or if stays too hot for too long into...

BY Dr. Allison Smith ZRT Laboratory SHBG, or Sex Hormone Binding Globulin, controls testosterone effect in both men and women by modulating changes in sex steroid levels. When SHBG goes up, free testosterone goes down. I like to think of SHBG as a sponge that soaks up androgens and to some degree estrogens as well. Since it binds so specifically and tightly to testosterone, it makes up part of the equation that equals androgen excess or androgen deficiency. Knowing how to manipulate SHBG can be a useful tool in a number of scenarios. Role: Bind to and carry testosterone (and less strongly...

By Dr Allison Smith, ZRT Laboratory The testicles of a man in his 20s are known to contribute about 5-10mg of testosterone per 24-hour day and levels of total testosterone in the venous blood with that amount are observed to yield roughly 300-1200 ng/dL in the morning at the diurnal peak. Testosterone, whether endogenous or given exogenously, negatively feeds back on the hypothalamus, limiting GnRH and thus LH and FSH from the pituitary. A man taking supraphysiological doses of testosterone can expect to have very low or undetectable levels of LH and FSH in the serum. What happens when the...