The transition of today’s woman into menopause can be a time of re-awakening and re-invention.  Today’s woman is more educated, has more wisdom, and has the ability to research and gather information as no other generation before hers.

As her body changes yet again, many times uncontrollable night sweats, insomnia, no energy, mood swings, hot flashes and weight gain begin.  As these symptoms start to present themselves, the search for why they’re happening and how to stop them begins.

There are many contributing factors to the onslaught of these symptoms. 

High stress lifestyles, overwork, environmental pollution, contaminated water and food supplies, including the damage that has been done to the soil that grows our food, take their toll on our bodies.  This often makes it necessary to supplement with additional nutrition like vitamins and amino acids to make up for the poor-quality air, food and water we now ingest.

Additionally, a natural part of aging is losing cells – we can’t stop aging, but we can certainly reverse the loss or decline of cellular dysfunction due to deficiency, and we can maintain optimum function through the aging process.   Loss of hormones is often due to deficiencies that you can replace using natural, non-drug solutions.

If you’re one of the 4000 women entering menopause every day, you may be looking for solutions that are not synthetic hormone drugs.   You may have been considering natural hormone replacement therapy – bio-identical hormones or other natural solutions – to handle your menopause symptoms.

Here’s some information about the different tests that are available to check your hormone levels and some tips to get started.

The first step is to find a knowledgeable practitioner who can work with you consistently.   There are many reasons that an imbalance in your hormone levels could be causing you to suffer with menopausal symptoms, and each woman is unique.  

Some of the things that could be affecting your hormone levels are: stressed adrenals, a toxic liver, your thyroid, and more.  The toxins in our food, water and air, as well as food allergies, can put a lot of physical stress on our bodies.   Your practitioner will carefully evaluate you and design a personalized program specifically for you.

The second step is to have initial body system evaluation testing to determine your hormone levels.  The hormones you want to make sure any test covers are: Estrogen, Testosterone, Progesterone, DHEA, and Cortisol.  Others may be considered depending on your personalized program.

Measuring the balance of the different estrogens in the body is also a consideration to be evaluated.  These three estrogens that the body makes are called Estradiol, Estrone, and Estriol.

Currently, there are three types of tests used to test your hormone levels: blood, saliva, and urine. 

1.  The blood or serum test is a “snapshot” of what hormones are available in what quantities to the tissues at the moment in time the blood is drawn.  The test looks at the “reservoir” of what is there to be used.  Many hormones are in the packed cells of the blood, and are not easily measured.

The hormones in the body are very responsive to the body’s needs, and fluctuate many times throughout the day and night.  If you experience stress during the day, your hormone levels change.  A “snapshot” type of test may not reflect this.

2.  The saliva test is easy to collect, just spit!  The saliva collection may be done one “snapshot” time in the morning, or it may be ordered 3 times a month every 10 days at the same time, or the order may call for collecting it 4-6 times one day which will give the practitioner cortisol levels as well. 

The saliva test reflects directly the amount of hormones which are found free in the body and those that are available to help with symptoms.

There are some drawbacks to this test: hot beverages, certain foods, and medications taken before the test can interfere with results as well as chewing gum, sugar in gums, or blood in the saliva from periodontal disease. Taking sublingual hormones can give false high hormone levels.   Your practitioner should provide you with the necessary instructions for this test.

3.  The urine test is usually a 24-hour urine collection.  This has been the gold standard of some very astute scientists for many years. It measures the output in the urine of all of the above hormones and more over a period of 24 hours.   Twenty-four hour collection is reflective of what hormones the body produced and utilized throughout the day and night.

This test measures the by-products of hormone metabolism, which can give a more accurate picture of how the body is using and converting the hormones that are being produced or given.  This test is a little more work, but gives more detailed information.

You and your practitioner should talk about these tests, and decide which test is right for you.   

Other tests that may be recommended as part of the body systems evaluation include a basic blood panel and a different type of urine test.

The basic blood panel will reflect your complete blood count, thyroid, cholesterol, liver function and metabolic profile.  All systems in the body need to work together to function correctly.  This test helps tell the body story and is an integral part of your hormone picture.

A different type of urine test can even measure bone loss.

During your first visit, your practitioner will start to design your personalized program and will be able to make recommendations of things you can start doing immediately to help your menopausal symptoms.  This, of course, depends on the individual patient as results do vary.

These are the first steps to getting rid of those unwanted menopause symptoms, and feeling better about yourself again.   We hope this helps you to get started on the road to your re-awakening.