Saliva vs. Serum
When measuring hormone levels in the body, saliva testing has many more advantages over serum testing. The most significant feature of saliva testing is the ability to reflect non-protein bound fraction of hormones at a given point of time.
Hormones in the body can be measured as either bound or unbound (free). It is the unbound fraction that best reflects a patient’s hormonally-related symptoms. Majority of hormones in the blood are bound to carrier proteins, with only a minimal 2% of these hormones being ‘free’. Serum testing measures the total or bound hormone levels in the blood.
Unlike blood, saliva reflects ‘free’ bio-available hormone levels, making it the most effective method to measure hormones.
Advantages of saliva testing
- Saliva reflects the free, bio-available hormone levels.
- Baseline hormone levels can be assessed and bio-identical hormone replacement therapy can be easily monitored and adjusted.
- Testing is suitable for both men and women
- Simple, painless, non-invasive, economical, and can be collected at home.
- Specimens are sent directly to the laboratory without special handling.
- Multiple saliva collections can be taken over the day or a number of weeks.
- Hormones are stable in saliva at room temperature
- Transport to a laboratory by overnight courier from anywhere in Australasia.
For more information on hormone testing please call (02) 42831200