From the Doctor’s Desk: Salivary Hormone Testing Backed by Science

Testing hormones through saliva is backed by science. But don’t take my word for it. In fact, it is well supported in the medical literature and is the right thing to do.  Below are links to several abstracts regarding salivary hormone testing. Read them for yourself and learn about the science behind this form of hormone testing.

• Belkien LD, Bordt J, Moller P, Hano R, Nieschlag E. Estradiol in saliva for monitoring follicular stimulation in an in vitro fertilization program. Fertil Steril 1985;44:322.
• Bolaji II, Tallon DF, O’Dwyer E, Fottrell PF. Assessment of bioavailability of oral micronized progesterone using a salivary progesterone enzymeimmunoassay. Gynecol Endocrinol 1993;7:101-110.
• Campbell BC, Ellison PT. Menstrual variation in salivary testosterone among regularly cycling women. Horm Res 1992;37:132-136.
• Aardal-Eriksson E, Karlberg BE, Holm AC. Salivary cortisol- and alternative to serum cortisol determinations in dynamic function tests. Clin Chem Lab Med 1998;36:215-222.

These articles are published in well-respected journals; and if you notice, they are not recent.  Salivary testing of hormones has been well published in the medical literature for some time now.

Here are a few quotes from these studies:

• “…salivary cortisol may be used as an alternative parameter in dynamic endocrine tests.”
• “…assessment of ovarian function…can be performed precisely with the saliva estradiol assay.”
• “…saliva collection has provided the medical and research community with an excellent medium for the monitoring of plasma steroid levels.”

Nowhere else in medicine do we blindly treat people without assessing a baseline and post treatment level(s). Balance is the key; not one individual hormone. Unfortunately, the medical field is very slow to learn and change.

From the Doctor’s Desk: What’s All The Fuss About Saliva Testing?

Confused about saliva testing? Don’t worry, your physician may be just as confused.

I don’t mean to suggest that the science of saliva testing is new. In fact, the clinical use of saliva testing of hormones has been validated over the past 25+ years, and it is well documented in journal publications such as Gynecology Endocrinology, Journal of Clinical Endocrinology, and Menopause. I know, you’re probably not going to run out and subscribe to those now, but these journals are important to doctors. They range from hard-core bench research to more clinical research.

So why use saliva testing for hormones? The short answer is accuracy.

This is going to get technical, so stick with me. See, hormones in the blood stream are mostly bound to carrier proteins (95-99%) for transportation to target tissues. In this transportation form, hormones are inactivated and not available for use. Only when the hormone is released inside the cells of the target tissue does it begin to have an effect. Saliva testing allows us to see your hormone levels inside the cells at the tissue level. That is where these free hormones can cause symptoms like hot flashes, irritability, breast tenderness, and dry skin.

You’re probably wondering, “Then why isn’t every doctor checking my hormones with a saliva test?” Or even worse, you may have been told that saliva testing is dangerous or inaccurate. Unfortunately, physicians are slow to apply new evidence into practice. History has shown this before. The medical community knew vitamin C replacement prevented scurvy on long sea journeys for 193 years before action was taken.

Hopefully, we will not wait that long this go around.