About Saliva<p> Testing
Saliva testing is a convenient, inexpensive and above all, accurate means of testing steroid hormones.<p> Scientific studies have shown a strong correlation between steroid hormone levels in saliva and the amount of hormone in the blood that is active or “bioavailable.” Saliva is an ideal diagnostic medium to measure the bioavailable level of steroid hormones active in the tissue. The majority of steroid hormones in blood are tightly bound to carrier proteins, rendering them unavailable to target tissue. The small fraction of hormone released from the binding proteins freely diffuse into tissues throughout the body such as the salivary glands. From the salivary glands the hormones then equilibrate with the salivary fluid (saliva), where they can be collected and measured.<p>
Advantages of Using Saliva vs. Serum<p>
• Saliva collection is painless, non-   invasive, and more convenient<p>
• Saliva allows private and timely sample collection at home
<p>• Saliva collection less expensive and more convenient to patient and practitioner<p>
• Salivary steroids stable at room temperature up to a week allowing wider latitude in shipment<p>
• Saliva requires no special handling, such as cooling, for return shipment<p>
• Saliva easier to collect multiple times throughout the day
Equivalence of Saliva and Serum Hormone Tests
<p>• Salivary steroids represent the fraction of hormone delivered to tissue; serum steroids represent the total level of steroid in blood prior to tissue delivery<p>
• Salivary and serum steroids show strong quantitative correlation when hormones produced endogenously; salivary steroids represent about 1-3% of total serum steroid level
<p>• Salivary and serum steroids show poor quantitative correlation with exogenous steroid use-saliva is much more representative of tissue uptake of steroid than serum (grossly underestimates tissue uptake)
Clinical Utility of Saliva Testing
<p>• Determine endogenous hormone levels
<p>• Identify hormone imbalances
<p>• Link clinical symptoms to tested hormone levels
<p>• Monitor hormone levels while supplementing allowing for individualized hormone dosing
<p>• Track treatment progress through comparative history reports