DUTCH Hormone Test Instruction Sheet - Passionate For Truth
Passionate For Truth > DUTCH Hormone Test Instruction Sheet

DUTCH HORMONE TEST INSTRUCTIONS

 

 

The DUTCH Hormone Test, now considered to be the ‘gold standard’ of hormone testing, offers the most extensive profile of sex and adrenal hormones along with their metabolites and is the most comprehensive hormone test available.  It provides greater insight into how hormones are processed in the human body than is available in saliva, serum (blood), or 24 hour (wet) urine collection testing.

 

Purchase Your Dutch Test Here: https://passionatefortruth.com/dutch-test-at-a-discount/

 

The DUTCH Complete test covers:

 

Progesterone Metabolites

Androgen Metabolites

Testosterone

Metabolites of Testosterone

Estrogens and their Metabolites

*Methylation of Estrogen

Cortisol daily patterns (Free and Total)

Cortisone

DHEA-S

8-OHdG (Marker for cellular inflammation)

Melatonin

Organic Acids (OAT Test) – (Functional Markers of Nutrient Deficiencies

Neurotransmitter Metabolites)

 

How To Fill Out The Requisition Form

  • The requisition form is located inside of your test kit.  Be sure to fill out BOTH SIDES!  As you collect your samples throughout the day, fill in the date and time that you collect each sample.

 

  • Place the requisition for inside of the return envelope along with your dried urine samples and mail back to the lab directly.

 

WHEN IN YOUR CYCLE (WOMEN) TO COLLECT your samples  – (MEN, ANYTIME IS FINE)

 

Pre-Menopausal Women:  Women who are still having their period should collect their samples about one week before they expect their next period.  (Minimum Testing Age: 12)

 

**Day 1 is the first day of bleeding.

 

Standard 28 day cycle:  Collect on day 19, 20, 21 or 22 (when Estrogen and Progesterone are both at their peak levels).

Short Cycle (less than 28 days):  Adjust the collection date by the n umber fo days you are short/shy of 28 days.  Example:  A 25 day cycle would collect on day 16, 17, 18 or 19.

Long Cycle (more than 28 days):  Adjust the collection by the number of days you are beyond 28 days.  Example:  A 40 day cycle would collect on days 31, 32,33 or 34.

Irregular Cycle:  If you skip months, or do not bleed on a regular schedule, first try testing for ovulation with an ovulation predictor kit.   Use the ovulation kit strips once every morning until positive.  Once t here is a positive OPK, it means you are likely to ovulate very soon and you are ready to count 5-7 days ahead and collect your DUTCH Test samples.

**If no ovulation occurs/no positive OPK occurs the first month and you do not get your period, try again the second month.

**If no ovulation or period occurs after 60 days, consider just gathering your sample on any day – BE AWARE:  the estrogen and progesterone levels will likely be low (or in the menopausal range, depending on your age.

**If you suddenly have your period, do not do the OPK kit – Count forward from day 1 of the beginning of bleeding, and collect on day 19, 20, or 21.

**If you collect your DUTCH sample and then unexpectedly start your period the next day or two following, throw out the test (or call the lab to let them know to disregard it if it was mailed), and start over with a new test collecting on day 19, 20 or 21.

**As a last result, consider doing the DUTCH cycle mapping by collecting strips throughout the entire month and let Precision Analytical Inc. (the lab) graph it out.

 

Perimenopausal Women:  If you don’t know when your next period is coming, you can complete the test on any day.  Your results will be interpreted in light of your hormonal stage of life.

Post-Menopausal Women/Men:  Collect any day.

 

**Detailed instructions are included in your kit.  Please follow them exactly as stated.

 

IF YOU ARE USING BIRTH CONTROL:

 

HORMONAL: (aka: the pill):  You will likely see artificially flattened amounts of estrogen, progesterone and testosterone in your test results. One recommendation is to do just the DUTCH adrenal portion, not the DUTCH complete.

 

MIRENA IUD:  Follow the instructions for premenopausal women.  Sometimes with this, the test will show high estrogen (estrogen dominance), and sometimes low or flattened sex hormones.  If you plan on removing it, you should wait 3 months before testing to see what your baseline hormone levels are.

 

PARAGUARD IUD:  Follow the instructions for premenopausal women.  The Paraguard does NOT suppress ovulation, so you want to test about one week after you ovulate.  If you haven’t ovulated, you can test any day.

 

HOW TO TEST IF YOU ARE ON HORMONES:

 

  • Oral/sublingual hormones:Stop at least 48 hours prior to testing.
  • Topical creams:Stop a few weeks prior – even longer, as the cream sits in the fat tissue and in make the baseline seem higher. (Because progesterone is not found in urine testing, the DUTCH test uses progesterone metabolites to calculate a value – it is suggested to also do a progesterone blood serum test the same day to compare).
  • Progesterone Troches:Stop one week prior to collection.
  • Vaginal hormones:Wait 1-2 weeks for all hormones to clear from vaginal membranes.
  • Injections:Wait quite some time to make sure it is out of your system.
  • Patches:Wait 1-2 weeks before testing.
  • Pellets are like injections:(often 6-12 weeks necessary wait time depending on dosage.

 

TESTING TIPS

 

  • Avoid caffeine and large amounts of fluids on testing days.
  • Try to restrict fluids for 2 hours prior to EACH collection.
  • If you get up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom, but go back to sleep, collect the urine in a cup and dip the collection paper in the cup in the morning for the most accurate reading.
  • If you miss a collection, collect the sample the following day for the corresponding time.
  • DO NOT test while you are sick with any kind of illness (even a cold or the flu), or if you are fighting an infection (ie: UTI).
  • No heavy exercise between samples 3 (waking) and 4 (2 hours after waking).  Walking is ok, but intense exercise will bump up cortisol.
  • Collect on a day that is ‘normal’ for you.  If you have experienced a stressful not-usual event (argument, accident, etc.), and you are due to collect, avoid collection on that day as your stress response will be higher than usual and your cortisol readings could be overly compromised.  You don’t have to wait for the next month, as the range for testing spans over 4 days.

 

FOODS/SUPPLEMENTS TO AVOID BEFORE TESTING

 

HERBS:  Ginsing, Holy Basil, Rhodiola, Ashwaganda, Maca, Vitex (chasteberry), licorice root, black cohosh (or anything that affects the HPA, HPO or HPG Axis).

 

MELATONIN:  Only stop if you are seeking a baseline measurement – if so, also avoid eating:  bananas, pineapple, citrus fruit, tart cherries, walnuts, corn, rice, peanuts, and cassava on the day (even 2 days prior) of testing, as these foods can falsely elevate melatonin.

 

**Be sure to list all supplements that you currently take on the requisition form.

 

FOODS:  Avocado, banana, eggplant, kiwi, butternuts, pecans, walnuts (and associated nut butters), pineapple (and pineapple juice), plantain, cassava (yuca) and plums.

 

*If you slip up and accidentally consume some of these foods, you can still do the test. These foods may increase neurotransmitter levels, but that’s not the main focus of this test.

 

FURTHER TESTING INFORMATION

 

  • All samples do NOT need to be collected in one 24 hour period. (If you miss one sample, you don’t have to wait for the next month, as the range for testing spans over 4 days.)
  • Samples can be collected in any order, but the recommended pattern is usually the easiest to follow
  • Dried urine is stable.  Although it is best to return to the lab as soon as you can, if it sits around for a few days, it is not a problem.  *If you need to mail it from out of the country, the test results can be frozen for up to 6 months prior to sending*.
  • Fill out the requisition for and add ALL hormones and supplements you are taking.
  • Place 2 stamps on the envelope provided when mailing.
  • Your results should be available in 10 business days after receipt by the lab.

 

To schedule an appointment to help you go over and understand your results, you can contact me here:  https://passionatefortruth.com/dutch-test-consultation/