Quick Facts
- Sample: Saliva (7 hormones + 4-point cortisol) and dried urine collection (neurotransmitters and neurotransmitter metabolites)
- Fasting: Not required
- Turn-around: 10–14 business days from laboratory receipt; may take longer during holidays, severe weather, or laboratory delays.
Benefits
- Comprehensive evaluation of sex hormones, adrenal function, and neurotransmitter balance in one convenient at-home kit.
- Uses LC-MS/MS technology for highly sensitive and specific hormone testing.
- Four-point cortisol testing evaluates daily stress response patterns and adrenal rhythm.
- Helps identify imbalances associated with fatigue, mood changes, anxiety, poor sleep, low libido, cognitive issues, and burnout.
- Noninvasive collection with room-temperature sample stability and prepaid return shipping.
- Useful for monitoring hormone replacement therapy, adrenal support programs, and lifestyle interventions without discontinuing treatment.
- Detects patterns linked to chronic stress, neurotransmitter dysregulation, inflammation, and mood disturbances before symptoms progress.
Who Is This Test For?
- Women experiencing PMS, perimenopause, menopause symptoms, or hormone-related mood changes.
- Men with fatigue, low libido, reduced muscle mass, or suspected hormone imbalance.
- Individuals with anxiety, depression, sleep disruption, brain fog, or chronic stress.
- Patients investigating neurotransmitter imbalances affecting mood, focus, motivation, or emotional regulation.
- Individuals with burnout, adrenal dysfunction, or irregular cortisol patterns.
- Health-conscious adults seeking preventive hormone and neurochemical assessment.
- Patients working with functional medicine, integrative, or hormone specialists.
How It Works – Just 3 Steps
- Order and receive your kit at home - The kit includes saliva collection tubes, dried urine collection materials, detailed instructions, and a prepaid return envelope.
- Collect samples at home - Complete saliva collections at four scheduled cortisol time points and provide dried urine samples according to kit instructions. No clinic visit required.
- Mail samples and receive results online - Return samples using the prepaid envelope. Results are typically available within 10–14 business days from laboratory receipt.
FAQ
What does this test measure? This panel evaluates seven steroid hormones and four-point cortisol levels from saliva alongside a comprehensive neurotransmitter profile from dried urine. It measures estrogen metabolites, progesterone, testosterone, DHEA-S, cortisol rhythm, serotonin pathways, dopamine metabolism, GABA activity, glutamate balance, histamine metabolism, catecholamines, and kynurenine pathway markers.
Why use saliva and dried urine testing? Saliva testing reflects the biologically active fraction of steroid hormones and cortisol, while dried urine testing provides insight into neurotransmitter production, metabolism, and breakdown patterns. Both methods are convenient, noninvasive, and suitable for home collection.
Can I continue taking medications or hormones? Yes. Most medications and hormone therapies can be continued unless your healthcare provider instructs otherwise. Results are interpreted using individualized reference ranges.
What symptoms can this test help investigate? This panel may help evaluate fatigue, mood swings, anxiety, depression, insomnia, burnout, low libido, brain fog, stress intolerance, irritability, poor focus, and hormone-related symptoms.
When is the best time to test? Women commonly test during the follicular phase (days 3–10 of the menstrual cycle) unless otherwise directed. Men may test at any time. Collection should ideally occur during a relatively stable, low-stress period.
More Details
What is the purpose of this test?
The Saliva LCMS Hormones 7 with 4-Point Cortisol + Dried Urine LCMS Neurotransmitters panel provides a comprehensive assessment of hormone balance, adrenal stress response, and neurotransmitter metabolism. By combining saliva hormone testing with advanced dried urine neurotransmitter analysis, this kit offers insight into interconnected systems influencing mood, cognition, sleep, energy, metabolism, stress resilience, and overall wellness.
This multi-system approach can help identify hormonal and neurochemical imbalances associated with chronic stress, mood disorders, fatigue, cognitive dysfunction, adrenal dysregulation, and age-related hormonal decline.
What biomarkers are measured in this test?
Saliva Hormone Panel:
- Estradiol (E2) – primary estrogen involved in reproductive, cardiovascular, and bone health
- Estriol (E3) – weaker estrogen commonly associated with pregnancy and estrogen metabolism
- Estrone (E1) – secondary estrogen, often elevated after menopause
- Progesterone (Pg) – supports menstrual regulation, sleep, and mood balance
- Testosterone (T) – supports libido, muscle mass, cognition, and energy
- DHEA-Sulfate (DS) – adrenal precursor hormone associated with stress resilience and healthy aging
- Cortisol (C x4) – measured at four time points to assess adrenal rhythm and daily stress response patterns
Dried Urine Neurotransmitter Panel
Serotonin Pathway
- Tryptophan (Trp)
- Serotonin (5-HT)
- 5-HIAA
Inhibitory / Calming Neurotransmitters
- GABA
- Glycine (Gly)
- Taurine (Tau)
Excitatory Neurotransmitters
- Glutamate (Glu)
- Glutamine (Gln)
- Histamine Markers
- Histidine (His)
- Histamine (HIST)
- N-Methylhistamine (N-MeHist)
Dopamine & Catecholamine Pathway
- Phenethylamine (PEA)
- Tyrosine (Tyr)
- Tyramine (Tyra)
- Dopamine (DA)
- DOPAC
- HVA
- Norepinephrine (NE)
- Normetanephrine (NMN)
- Epinephrine (Epi)
- Vanillylmandelic Acid (VMA)
Kynurenine Pathway
- Kynurenine (Kyn)
- Kynurenic Acid (KynAc)
- 3-Hydroxykynurenine (3OHKyn)
- Xanthurenic Acid (Xanth)
Additional Marker
- Creatinine (Crtn) – used to normalize urine metabolite concentrations
Who Would Benefit From This Test?
This test is particularly useful for individuals experiencing chronic stress, anxiety, depression, mood instability, fatigue, sleep disturbances, low motivation, hormonal symptoms, burnout, or cognitive difficulties. It may also benefit patients monitoring hormone replacement therapy or working with functional medicine practitioners to optimize hormone and neurotransmitter balance.
How Do I Interpret the Results?
Results include individualized reference ranges and clearly flagged biomarkers.
Common Hormone Findings
- Low progesterone or estrogen imbalance may contribute to PMS, hot flashes, mood changes, or sleep issues.
- Low testosterone or DHEA-S may be associated with fatigue, low libido, and reduced resilience to stress.
- Abnormal cortisol patterns may reflect chronic stress, burnout, poor sleep, or adrenal dysregulation.
Common Neurotransmitter Findings
- Low serotonin markers may correlate with low mood, anxiety, or poor sleep.
- Elevated glutamate with low GABA may indicate excitatory imbalance and stress sensitivity.
- Altered dopamine metabolites may affect motivation, focus, reward processing, and energy.
- Elevated histamine markers may be associated with inflammation, headaches, allergies, or mood symptoms.
- Kynurenine pathway abnormalities may reflect chronic stress, immune activation, or neuroinflammation.
- Always discuss abnormal results with your healthcare provider for individualized interpretation and treatment planning.
Pre-Test Preparation
Ship kits Monday through Thursday to avoid delays. Fasting is not required for this test. Avoid strenuous exercise, alcohol, major stress, and schedule disruptions for 24–48 hours before collection, and maintain a normal sleep routine. Follow all collection timing instructions carefully and continue medications and supplements unless directed otherwise by your healthcare provider. Avoid eating, drinking (except water), brushing teeth, chewing gum, or smoking for 30 minutes before saliva collection, and carefully follow all dried urine collection and drying instructions included with the kit.
How Often Should I Get Tested?
- Every 3–6 months when monitoring hormone therapy or lifestyle interventions
- Annually for preventive wellness monitoring
- After significant stress, sleep disruption, illness, or major hormonal changes
- As recommended by your healthcare provider
Why Early Detection Matters
Hormonal imbalance and neurotransmitter dysfunction can contribute to fatigue, mood disorders, sleep disruption, metabolic changes, and reduced quality of life long before overt disease develops. Identifying abnormal cortisol patterns, hormone deficiencies, neurotransmitter imbalances, and inflammatory neurochemical pathways early allows for targeted interventions that may improve long-term mental, emotional, and metabolic health outcomes.
Related tests you may consider
4-Point Cortisol ZRT Test Kit – Evaluates adrenal function and daily cortisol rhythm using multiple saliva samples taken throughout the day to assess stress response patterns.
Neurotransmitter Profile (Dried Urine) ZRT Test Kit – Comprehensive urine-based analysis of key neurotransmitters and metabolites, including serotonin, dopamine, norepinephrine, GABA, glutamate, histamine, and kynurenine pathway markers.
LCMS Hormones 5 ZRT Test Kit – Measures key sex hormones such as estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, DHEA-S, and cortisol to evaluate hormonal balance, reproductive health, and endocrine function.
