Hormone Health Hub: Expert Insights on Testing, Balance & Better Living — women's health test

Interpretation of hormone testing using saliva, dried blood spot, or serum can be tricky when women are using oral, patch, or other hormonal contraception methods. The types of hormones in these contraceptives are synthetic, and although they may be close to the molecular structure of our body’s own oestradiol or progesterone, they are not bioidentical. While bioidentical hormones used as supplements react in the same way as our endogenous hormones to the specific antibodies used during hormone testing, non-bioidentical hormones aren’t recognised by these antibodies so they are not measured by the same test. How Does Hormonal Contraception Affect Test...

Original of this article was published on ZRT Laboratory Blog. I remember the dismaying shock of menopause storming into my life... I was in my late 40s. My daughters were still pretty young, 9 and 6 years old, and having a hard time adjusting to new schools on top of coping with an older mom whose hormones were suddenly in full revolt. As I recall, Christmas was fast approaching but with hot flashes hitting me every 20 minutes, and mood swings in between, no amount of holiday cheer could cheer this mama up. In the dead of winter I kept...

Since starting to talk publicly about periods, we know so much more about the biochemical basics and physical aspects of menstruation. We are now also beginning to better understand the underlying interplay of sex-hormones with neurotransmitters that create the harmony of a normal menstrual cycle, or the symptom havoc seen with PMS, or its more severe form PMDD. A Brief Overview of PMS & PMDD Characterized by its cyclical onset around the time of menstruation, premenstrual syndrome (PMS) affects many women of reproductive age. Sometimes symptoms associated with PMS can be so severe that premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) arises. Working...

Original of this article was published on ZRT Laboratory Blog.  Published by Dr. Kate Placzek Busy lifestyles, everyday stress, not enough or poor quality sleep and many other factors can all contribute to putting sex at the bottom of the to-do list, well after laundry, scrubbing the floor, and taking the dog to the vet. Low libido is a multidimensional issue that can have a little bit of everything infused into its mosaic. It's not uncommon that the symptom of low libido is accompanied by fatigue, sleep disturbances, mood swings, and perhaps even mild depression. Helping patients with waning libido...