Good morning Ladies!

I picked up a saliva test from ZRT labs to do at home. I've been doing some reading and it seems while saliva testing used to be the recommended way to test female hormones, blood serum testing seems to be the preferred method.

Currently reading Dr. Christiane Northrup's book, "The Wisdom of Menopause" and she really recommends and uses Genova Diagnostics formerly Great Smokies Diagnostic Laboratory. She recommends the Hormonal Health (Essence) test which is a blood serum test done in the Dr's office. It tests: DHEAS, Eastradiol, Estrone, Estriol, 2-hydroxyestrone, Progesterone, Sex hormone binding globulin, testosterone, free androgen index, & 16 alpha-hydroxyestrone.

My NP had just sent me to a pharmacist to pick up a saliva kit to mail myself (ZRT labs). She wrote a 'script for one that tested cortisol levels 4 times in one day as well. ZRT labs also offers a blood test for hormone levels, but it is a blot spot test you do at home. I'm no expert, but it seems to me a few vials of blood would be more accurate than a blot you stick on a piece of paper for testing.

I called Genova Labs a few minutes ago to ask about insurance, etc. First of all, the DR's office would have to set up an account with them at no cost to them.

Have any of you had any luck getting your physcian's office to sign up with a new lab just because you asked? Is that unreasonable for me to do so? I am a new patient, and I don't want them thinking that I am a difficult one, which I guess I kinda am being, but...

I was told they are out of network for BCBS (which I have), but they would do a courtsey file for me and I would pay the difference. They have a Pay Assured plan where I would have to send in basically a copay amount with the testing. They don't quote how much a test costs, so I am in a pickle. For the blood serum test recommended by Northrup, the copay is $129 and the cortisol saliva testing is $59. Now, I don't know how much it will cost on top of that after it goes through insurance as out of network.

Anyone have any knowledge with that, or anything else that you feel would be helpful to me? Thanks so much!!!! Wasn't sure exactly where to post this, so I apologize if I posted it in the wrong spot.

I would not feel comfortable with the blood spot. I had considered it but read something and was told that it's not reliable. I would stick with serum to be sure you are getting accuracy.

The saliva test for cortisol I do feel is accurate.

I pay out of pocket so can't answer your insurance questions. I order my own lab tests and saliva tests online, much cheaper than through a doc.

If you don't go through a doctor's office, who draws your blood if you are doing blood serum testing? Seems to me the only way it can be done at home is the blot test.

What lab do you use? How reliable do you feel the tests are, etc.?

Thanks.

I order serum tests through healthcheckusa.com. You go to a local LabCorp office to have your lab drawn. It's one of the largest labs in the US, and they do testing for many doctors and hospitals. It is as reliable as if you went to the docs office.

Thanks for the info.

I called the lab back that I had previously posted about after calling my insurance carrier to find out out of network benefits for labwork, and it looks like if I can get my Dr's office to open an account with this lab and set up the pay assured program, where I send in the $129 for one test and the $59 for cortisol, that is all I have to pay, unless BCBS sends me a check for reimbursement which I would forward onto the lab. If they don't send me anything, it looks like I would just forward the EOB to the lab and they would close the account as paid in full.

Looks like it's an offer set up through physician's offices that make the testing more affordable to the patient.

Looked at the panels offered through your website and it looks like this other lab test for other things as well, cheaper for me if I can only get the DR on board. Hoping that works out for me, but I have to be realistic.

You are right though about LabCorp. I know when I went through infertility treatment through a RE, that's the lab they used.