Читать книгу Hormone Replacement: How to Balance Your Hormones Naturally - Dr. Cabot Sandra - Страница 11

Chapter 4

Testing for Hormonal Imbalances

When Can Hormone Tests Be Useful?

 To determine if you are menopausal. Blood tests are better for this initial test, to check your FSH levels and baseline levels of total sex hormones.

 During the pre-menopausal years, if you have heavy and/or painful menstrual bleeding, fibroids or irregular menstrual cycles, as this could indicate a progesterone deficiency. The best time to measure progesterone levels is seven days before your menstrual bleeding is due, although if your cycle has become irregular and/or infrequent, it can be difficult to pinpoint this exact time. Salivary and blood tests should be done to check progesterone levels.

 If you are on hormone replacement therapy, to indicate if your response to treatment is adequate. These tests can be blood and/or saliva tests. The blood tests are done every three to six months; the saliva tests can be done more often. The tests are more necessary if you are on HRT and you still feel that your hormones are out of balance. For women on higher-dose forms of HRT, such as implants or injections, blood tests can be helpful to check that you are not receiving an excessive dosage. We do not want to produce very high blood levels of hormones that are above the normal ranges, so blood and saliva tests can check for over-dosing as well as under-dosing. If you are on HRT and feel well, you may not need any hormone tests at all.

Useful Blood Tests and their Normal Ranges During the Menopause