HORMONES

The DUTCH tests

When Is the Best Time to Test Your Hormones?

One frequent question we get from patients at our clinic is about the optimal timing for hormone testing. This can vary depending on several factors, such as whether you have regular menstrual cycles, the length of your cycles, and whether you are approaching menopause.

Here at The Bespoke Clinic, we often use the DUTCH Plus test to provide a comprehensive hormone profile and information about adrenal health. Understanding when to test is crucial to getting accurate and useful results.

The typical menstrual cycle – see image

The menstrual cycle begins on the first day of the period, which also marks day one of the cycle. At this stage, both oestrogen and progesterone levels are quite low. As the cycle progresses, oestrogen levels start to climb, peaking just before ovulation. After the egg is released from the ovary, the corpus luteum forms from the leftover follicle and begins to produce progesterone. This increase in progesterone prepares the body for a potential pregnancy, supporting the uterine lining in case the egg is fertilized. The term progesterone itself hints at its role: PRO-GEST(ation), essential for maintaining a pregnancy. If no fertilization occurs, the corpus luteum breaks down, leading to a drop in both progesterone and oestrogen levels, and the cycle resets with the onset of another period.

Testing During a Regular Cycle

For women with regular monthly cycles, the ideal time to conduct a test is during the mid-luteal phase, roughly 5-7 days post-ovulation. In a typical 28-day cycle, this would correspond to days 19 to 22. This phase is significant because it’s when progesterone levels peak and oestrogen reaches the high point of its luteal plateau. This timing can offer invaluable insights into your menstrual health and hormonal balance.

Here’s a brief overview of what these results might indicate:

  • Low Progesterone with Normal or Low Estrogen: This might suggest that ovulation hasn’t occurred.
  • Normal Progesterone with Low Estrogen: Ovulation likely occurred, but the lower estrogen levels could affect the quality of the endometrial lining and egg, potentially impacting implantation.
  • High Estrogen with Normal Progesterone: Ovulation occurred, but there may be a dominance of estrogen, which can lead to symptoms like migraines, PMS, breast tenderness, and heavier menstrual bleeding.
  • Both Hormones Within Normal Range: Ovulation has occurred, indicating a typically healthy cycle.

Adjusting for Different Cycle Lengths

If your cycle is shorter or longer than the standard 28 days, we’ll adjust the testing day accordingly to align with your specific luteal phase. For instance, if you have a 25-day cycle, the collection would likely be between days 16 and 19; for a 35-day cycle, it would be around days 26 to 28.

Peri-Menopausal Women and Irregular Cycles

For those experiencing perimenopause or irregular cycles, using an ovulation predictor kit (OPK) can help determine the best time to collect your sample. Once the OPK indicates that ovulation is imminent, count forward 5-7 days to find your optimal testing window. Alternatively, the DUTCH Cycle Mapping Test might be recommended, where you would provide samples nearly every morning of your cycle. This method allows us to chart the fluctuations of your hormones throughout the month, offering a detailed view of your hormonal health.

Further help?

Choosing the right day for your DUTCH test might seem overwhelming, but we’re here to help. Don’t hesitate to contact our clinic on 01916941232 or email clinical@thebespokeclinic.uk for guidance. Our doctor led team is dedicated to supporting your health journey with personalised, expert advice every step of the way.

Hormones and Bloating: Understanding the Connection

Welcome to our latest insightful exploration at The Bespoke Clinic. Today, we’re diving into a common yet often overlooked aspect of female health: the link between hormones and bloating. Bloating isn’t just an uncomfortable inconvenience; it can be a crucial indicator of your hormonal health. Let’s delve into how hormonal changes affect bloating, the significance of gut health, and how personalised care through functional medicine and gut microbiome testing can lead to targeted solutions.

The Hormone-Bloating Connection

Bloating can often be a sign of imbalances in female hormones, particularly oestrogen and progesterone. These hormones fluctuate throughout the menstrual cycle, affecting fluid retention and digestive function. Just before menstruation, higher levels of oestrogen can lead to water retention, while lower levels of progesterone can slow down digestion, leading to that all-too-familiar bloated feeling.

Impact of Gut Health on Hormones

The health of your gut microbiome plays a crucial role in hormonal balance. An imbalanced microbiome can lead to increased oestrogen levels, a condition known as oestrogen dominance, which can exacerbate bloating. Furthermore, gut health significantly impacts overall digestion and absorption, influencing how bloated you feel.

Functional Medicine Testing: A Personalised Approach

At The Bespoke Clinic, we emphasise the importance of understanding each individual’s unique health profile. Through functional medicine testing, we can assess hormone levels and identify imbalances. This insight allows us to tailor our approach specifically to your needs, targeting the root cause of your symptoms, including bloating.

The Power of Gut Microbiome Testing

Gut microbiome testing is a game-changer in personalised healthcare. By analysing your gut bacteria, we gain valuable information about your digestive health, immune system, and even hormonal balance. Understanding your gut microbiome enables us to:

  1. Identify Specific Imbalances: Knowing which bacteria are overgrown or lacking can guide our approach to your diet and lifestyle changes.
  2. Personalise Your Dietary Plan: With detailed knowledge of your gut microbiome, we can recommend specific foods that will help balance your gut flora.
  3. Customise Supplement Recommendations: Instead of a one-size-fits-all approach, we can suggest targeted supplements that influence your gut bacteria positively, often reducing the need for antibiotics.

Managing Hormonal Bloating

Diet and Lifestyle

  • Balanced Nutrition: Focus on a fibre-rich diet with plenty of vegetables, fruits, and whole grains to support gut health and hormonal balance.
  • Hydration: Adequate water intake can alleviate water retention and improve digestion.
  • Regular Exercise: Physical activity is beneficial for hormonal balance and can help reduce bloating.

Supplements

  • Probiotics and Prebiotics: These can help maintain a healthy gut microbiome, influencing oestrogen metabolism.
  • Magnesium: Particularly beneficial around menstruation, it can help with water retention and muscle relaxation.
  • Herbal Remedies: Herbs like dandelion or green tea can support natural detoxification processes and hormonal balance.

Conclusion

Understanding the intricate relationship between hormones, bloating, and gut health is vital for addressing these issues effectively. At The Bespoke Clinic, we’re dedicated to providing personalised care based on in-depth functional medicine and gut microbiome testing. This approach allows us to create customised plans that address not just the symptoms, but the underlying causes, providing you with a pathway to better health and comfort.

 

Note: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. It’s always recommended to consult with a healthcare professional for personalised health recommendations

 

 

Is there a link between Hormones and Anxiety?

Hormones control all aspects of our health and wellbeing and are part of every single system in our body. They send chemical messages back and forth and are regulated by other hormones and neurotransmitters. If there is an abnormal hormone balance, it can have a massive impact on our mood, particularly on our anxiety levels.

These hormone fluctuations, are normal, for men and women. For men, these cycles are every 24 hours! For women they are monthly. However, sometimes people experience more extreme changes to their hormones, or their body’s response to the changes are heightened and this can lead to real problems which can often be mistaken for other issues.

In the first two weeks of a menstrual cycle, Oestrogen levels tend to be higher and this allows for increased production of Serotonin, our happy hormone.

In the second two weeks however, our Progesterone levels rise and this stimulates the part of our brain linked to the ‘fight or flight’ response, and this can make us feel anxious and depressed.

Different hormone and menstrual disorders can make us feel anxious and unwell. For example Endometriosis can have an impact on your Cortisol levels and this is our main stress hormone.

Cortisol balance is so important as it forms part of our steroid pathway, meaning that it can go into overdrive if allowed. When our stress levels are high, the cortisol production pathway is preferred by our body, and this leads to a reduced production of other important hormones. For example, it can lower our testosterone levels, and this can make us anxious too.

Symptoms of a high cortisol include:

  • Poor digestion
  • Poor sleep
  • Headaches
  • Brain fog
  • Fatigue

Even a thyroid imbalance can cause issues with anxiety, and as you can probably see, all these symptoms are interlinked and overlapped with other conditions making it confusing to know what is going on.

So what can be done?

Firstly, it is important to recognise that lifestyle measures, however many times you have heard about them, or tried them, are the baseline to good health. Looking after yourself the best you can is the best start. Good nutrition, good hydration, good sleep, exercise and mindfulness or yoga can really help. At The Bespoke Clinic, we take an integrative approach to our management plans and will consider and offer you these avenues of care as well as more conventional ones.

In addition, once we have a good understanding of your baseline and we agree on the changes we need to make to embrace the holistic approach, we will also be undertaking a full hormone consultation, which will include blood testing and discussion around Bioidentical hormone treatments, other conventional treatments and supplements – all to aid Hormonal Rebalancing. Each person is treated as an individual and will have a different patient journey.

Get in touch to book your initial consultation and let’s see what we can do to get your anxiety and hormones back in check.

Be Calm

 

 

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