The Wellness Center for Research & Education, Inc.

What’s the Difference Between

Saliva, Urine & Serum Hormone Testing?




Bioactive hormonal fraction


• Saliva reflects the unbound bioactive hormone level to which
living cells are subjected. This is the hormone level that needs
to be evaluated.
• Real Life Hormone Function Evaluation.
• Multiple Salivary Specimens.
• Can be collected under real life situations, at work, at home,
etc.
• Hormone values reflect real life physiological conditions and
responses.
• Saliva is easily collected by the patient.
• Patient collects sample with minimal biohazard to clinic staff.
• Multiple saliva samples collected at different times allow
evaluation of hormonal stress response and circadian rhythm.

Therapeutic discrimination
Because saliva testing can sub-classify hormonal dysfunction into
time related values, the subclasses of dysfunction are discernable.
Consequently, therapeutic options are expanded and treatments are
very specific.
Urine Tests

• Urine hormones reflect production and catabolism and do not

reflect tissue level hormone concentrations that living cells
are exposed to. Urine hormone interpretation is very
misleading.
• Urine testing results are reported as: high, low, or normal.
• Hormone values & treatment options are limited and not
always synchronized and harmonious with the natural
circadian cycle of the patient.
• 24 -hour urine has metabolites of the hormones and is not
time specific and does not reflect time sensitive hormonal and
stress responses.
• 24-hour urine collection is cumbersome and time consuming,
especially for women.
• Urine collection is minimally bio-hazardous to clinic staff.
• 24-hour urine is absolutely time non-specific and does not
reflect circadian rhythm variation at all.


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 Serum Tests

• Serum testing results are reported as: high, low, or normal.

• Hormone values & treatment options are limited and not
always synchronized and harmonious with the natural
circadian cycle of the patient.
• Routine serum hormone testing reflects total hormone level
not the bioactive fraction. Total levels are crude estimates of
unbound bioactive hormone.
• Serum collection requires clinic visit and creates apprehension
due to anticipation of venipuncture. Stess causes an artificial
increase in cortisol.
• Only approximates real life conditions.
• Serum tests require clinic staff and disruption of routine
schedule of patient.
• Serum collection is bio-hazardous to clinic staff especially with
AIDS and Hepatitis.
• The routine single serum sample does not allow circadian
rhythm evaluation, i.e., no real time component


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