About Saliva Testing

About Saliva Testing
The knowledge that there are steroid hormones in saliva, and that they can be measured, has been around for more than 30 years. But it is only recently that technology has caught up with that information making it possible to accurately determine levels of salivary hormones. Now, with specific antibodies for key steroid hormones, Aeron LifeCycles Clinical Laboratory can be an important partner in your quest for a longer, healthier and sexier life.

Until recently, steroid hormone level evaluations were carried out on blood samples, but blood collection has its limitations. It is invasive, expensive and difficult to time precisely. Perhaps more importantly, blood hormone levels represent your body's total hormone content. Most blood hormones (about 95%) are bound to specific proteins which carry them through your bloodstream and can be considered the hormone 'storage' fraction. The other 5% represents your free hormones - those available to move easily into your target organs and fulfill their functions. Your saliva contains these free hormones which can be easily measured to give an accurate picture of those hormones that are readily available to your tissue.

Why Test Saliva For Hormones ?

With the convenience and privacy of home collection, saliva hormone testing is non-invasive and economical.

Blood collection is sometimes very stressful while saliva collection is simple.

Saliva sample collections can be timed precisely which is critical for some hormones.

Multiple saliva collections can be taken in a single day to evaluate daily fluctuation.

Saliva testing is an accurate, flexible tool for adjusting and monitoring hormone replacement therapy (HRT).

Prepaid mailers containing your saliva specimen can simply be dropped into your nearest mailbox for delivery to Aeron. This convenience is possible because saliva hormones are stable at room temperature for at least 3 weeks.

Saliva testing measures the levels of the free, bio-available hormones - those hormones which move freely into cells and carry out the bodies' critical jobs.