You & Your Hormones: How to Find Out If You Have a Hormone Deficiency

A hormone is a class of regulatory biochemical that is produced in all multicellular organisms by glands.  They travel through the body via the blood stream, and serve as a major form of communication between different organs and tissues.

Hormones regulate a variety of different physiological and behavioural activities, including digestion, metabolism, respiration, tissue function, sensory perception, sleep, excretion, lactation, stress, growth and development, movement, reproduction and mood. Hormone balance is essential to good health for people of all ages.  In order to achieve optimal, sustainable health and wellbeing, you need to strive for hormone health that includes the proper balance of all bodily chemicals.  

Having hormones that are out of balance, could lead to you suffering from a variety of symptoms ranging from fatigue, headaches and depression, to food cravings and acne. The easiest way in which to get your hormone levels checked, is by having some simple hormone tests carried out.

Hormones can be measured using a number of different methods including serum (blood) saliva and urine. Urine testing is one of the oldest methods, however requires you to collect every drop of urine over a 24 hour period making it quite labour intensive.  Saliva testing on the other hand, is the newest method being used to evaluate hormone levels.  The clinical significance however is still uncertain, due to the fact that the majority of information available on hormones have been collected with blood or urine measurements. With all of this in mind it is easy to see why hormone blood tests are becoming an increasingly popular option.  They are quick, easy and relatively pain free with the majority only requiring a simple finger prick sample.  

Hormone blood tests are commercially available from a variety of online providers.  They are suitable for everyone, of all ages and can even be used by children. You simply buy your chosen test online, and have it despatched to an address of your choice.  Not only is this convenient it offers a sense of privacy and confidentiality that is not always present when attending a phlebotomy appointment.

photo courtesy by Salvatore Vuono/Freedigitalphotos.net

Home-to-lab hormone tests (provided by MediChecks service in the United Kingdom) are self-explanatory. Your chosen blood test kit will include a comprehensive leaflet with full instructions and illustrations.  The test is easy to perform, and simply involves you piercing your finger with an easy-to-use lancet.  The resulting droplets are then collected into a small tube.  Once your blood sample has been collected, you simply post it back to the laboratory for analysis. Results for many Home-to-lab blood tests are available within 1-2 working days of the sample arriving at the laboratory. You can either choose for your results to be uploaded onto a secure server for you to access, or receive them by telephone from one of the medical advisors.

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