About Hormone Testing

When there's a question about a person's health status and the cause isn't obvious, he may turn to his doctor for testing. Laboratory tests don't just detect diseases and illnesses, however. They can also be used to check hormone levels and weed out imbalances.

Identification

• A hormone test is used to detect levels of hormones in the body. Hormone testing can be used to detect certain illnesses and conditions, gauge a person's health status and even determine whether or not she is pregnant.This type of testing can also indicate whether or not a person's bodily processes are acting as they should to allow her to reproduce. It can be used not only for detecting physical conditions, but also for diagnosing those related to mental health.

Blood and Urine Tests

• Hormone testing may be performed through blood and urine tests. For example, it is possible to determine whether or not someone is pregnant by testing for a hormone called Human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) in the blood or urine. Blood and urine hormone testing can be used to detect everything from levels of sex hormones, such as testosterone and estrogen, to growth hormone, which may influence the effects of aging, and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), which affects the mood, memory and function of the immune system.

Saliva Tests

• Saliva hormone tests can be used to check for a wide range of things, including biochemical imbalances. Such imbalances may play a role in such things as depression, difficulty sleeping and even diabetes. They may even contribute to obesity. A saliva test may also be used to test levels of luteinizing hormone (LH) in a woman's body. These levels can help to indicate whether or not she will ovulate soon.

Home Testing

• While most people visit a medical professional for hormone testing, there are some tests that can be performed at home. For example, an at-home pregnancy test is a type of hormone test. It checks a woman's urine for the presence of significant levels of hCG, which may indicate pregnancy. However, in some cases, these tests may be less accurate than doctor-provided tests, and many women pay visits to their doctors for follow-up testing.

Get Help

• Some at-home hormone testing kits are designed to allow the user to read his own results at home while others must be mailed into a lab. Before using an at-home hormone testing kit, it's a good idea to ask a doctor for advice. A doctor can provide information regarding the expected accuracy of the test you are considering. He may also offer help and tips for avoiding false negatives and false positives, or he may suggest in-office testing instead.