Which DUTCH Panel Is Right for Me?
by Clinical Consulting Team
DUTCH testing is unique because it helps identify symptoms of hormonal imbalances by providing a complete picture of a patient’s hormone levels which cannot be seen in testing serum (blood) or saliva alone. One of the top questions DUTCH clinical educators are asked is “which DUTCH test is right for me?” The DUTCH hormone testing and reporting methods deliver actionable results for healthcare providers to better treat patients who struggle with hormone issues.
DUTCH offers three primary test kits:
- DUTCH Complete™
- DUTCH Plus®
- DUTCH Cycle Mapping™
Each testing panel offers a unique combination of analytes to best fit the needs of each patient. That’s why it’s important to understand which DUTCH panel will best help you and your patients achieve health goals. Check out the guide below to compare the different DUTCH Test options and choose the one that will work best for you!
DUTCH Complete
The DUTCH Complete is the flagship DUTCH Test and gives a comprehensive assessment of sex hormone metabolites (progesterone, estrogens, and androgens), adrenal hormone metabolites (cortisol, cortisone, creatinine, and DHEA-S), organic acids, 8-OHdG, and melatonin metabolites. The DUTCH Complete also includes neuro-markers and gut-health indicators.
If a patient is feeling not quite right, consider testing with DUTCH. Thousands of healthcare providers use DUTCH with great success, and patients can find a DUTCH provider directly on our website.
Click here to learn more about the DUTCH Complete.
DUTCH Plus
Some patient cases may warrant additional evaluation of stress response and the HPA axis. That’s where the DUTCH Plus shines. The DUTCH Plus includes all the biomarkers of the DUTCH Complete and adds the cortisol awakening response (CAR). The CAR assessment utilizes salivary samples to bring an important piece of the HPA axis into focus.
Even though other lab tests may report “normal” free cortisol levels throughout the day, that does not always mean everything is functioning properly. By collecting saliva samples immediately after waking and in the minutes and hours following you can evaluate the CAR and HPA axis in a way that cannot be assessed through urine alone. The DUTCH Plus combines the detailed analysis of a DUTCH Complete with the CAR results to give an expanded view of patient health.
Click here to learn more about the DUTCH Plus.
DUTCH Cycle Mapping
DUTCH Cycle Mapping analyzes the full picture of progesterone and estrogen patterns throughout the menstrual cycle. Providers can use these results to potentially answer important questions for patients with month-long symptoms, fertility concerns, or even issues related to polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS).
This test collects nine targeted estrogen and progesterone measurements from urine throughout the cycle to plot out a woman’s follicular, ovulatory, and luteal phases. These convenient, first-morning urine collections are based on the actual length of the cycle to allow for better characterization of both the ovulatory and luteal peaks.
Practitioners can sometimes face challenges in treating women with irregular cycles, fertility problems, or who have had an ablation. The DUTCH Cycle Mapping test gives a complete picture of the patient’s cycle and allows for a more accurate, comprehensive, and customized treatment program. This test is helpful for patients and providers to see if/when a woman is ovulating as well as to determine the reasons behind mid-cycle spotting, hormonal migraines, fertility issues, and more.
Click here for more information about DUTCH Cycle Mapping.
CAR and OATs Panels
DUTCH can further customize panels to meet the specific needs of each patient. Our OATs panel is available to those that wish to see a detailed view of other biomarkers and nutritional metabolites. These results can be interpreted separately from the DUTCH Complete and DUTCH Plus test kits.
The CAR is also available as a stand-alone panel. Evaluating the CAR can give valuable feedback on a patient’s HPA axis health. With information gleaned from the DUTCH CAR report, providers can guide their patients to effective treatments for proper stress response.
DUTCH Offers Actionable Results for Complex Problems
For symptoms like painful periods, chronic fatigue, low libido, or just feeling “off,” traditional medical tests may not provide answers. It can be even more frustrating to suffer from symptoms and receive no diagnosis because traditional bloodwork results appear “normal.” This is one of the many reasons why many healthcare practitioners and their patients are switching to DUTCH testing. The DUTCH Test provides actionable results they can use to get to the root cause of complex symptoms.
Interested in becoming a DUTCH provider? Contact us today to get started and receive access to exclusive resources.
