Can Saliva Testing Help to Pinpoint Hormone Imbalances?

An article about Saliva Tests appeared in this week’s  “Aches & Claims” column (6/1) in the Wall Street Journal. It’s one of many tests that can be used to determine which hormones are out of balance and what supplements could be prescribed to alleviate menopausal symptoms such as hot flashes and insomnia.  Typically, a doctor who specializes in naturopathic or integrative medicine, rather than your gynecologist, will be inclined to use this and other specialized lab tests since they require additional time and expertise to review and interpret them.

However, there is debate over their reliability due to a lack of industry standardization, according to the WSJ article.  One physician, for example, who is a noted proponent of Hormone Replacement Therapy, called the Saliva Test “a pure waste of dollars,” and further dismissed it by explaining that a saliva test is “not needed since doctors treat the symptoms of hormone deficiency by starting with a low dose of hormone replacement and increasing it if symptoms don’t resolve.”  That may be his preferred approach to hormone imbalances, but clearly not every woman can and wants to take hormones.

In a “clinical policy bulletin“, the insurance company, Aetna, states that “salivary hormone tests, while medically necessary for diagnosing Cushing’s syndrome, have not been proven to be valid alternatives to serum (blood) tests for the screening, diagnosis or monitoring of menopause or diseases related to aging,” and thus does not include them in their coverage.  On the other hand, the website of the late Dr. John Lee, who advocated the use of natural hormones, states that “research indicates that the most accurate way to measure your hormone levels is through saliva.”

ZRT Labs, which sells Saliva Testing Kits to doctors only, offers information about “oral fluid testing” and video instruction for collecting a saliva sample.  Their website also features a directory of health care providers that you can use to identify one in your area who can prescribe the test and review the results with you.