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Biohealth Cortisol Saliva Test Results - Adrenal Fatigue?

Messages
5
Hi there!

I finally received my results -- would someone be able to help interpret? I've struggled with fatigue for at least 10 years (I'm 23 now), and have always had hormone related issues (mood, skin/eczema, irregular periods, IBS, insomnia, etc.). I've prioritized sleep for the past year, and am now much more regulated - I can't even imagine what the results would've looked like a few months prior. I now wear orange blueblocker sunnies at night, wake up naturally at 8am, and am generally tired around 10PM (but still have lots of trouble sleeping, staying asleep, and needing to go to the bathroom a lot).

Thank you and I'm forever grateful for any insight you can share!

Functional Adrenal Stress Profile plus V - 205 (Biohealth)


Cortisol - Morning (6 - 8 AM) = 13.3 (Reference Range 13.0 - 24.0 nM/L)
Cortisol - Noon (12 - 1 PM) = 6.2 (Reference Range 5.0 - 8.0 nM/L)
Cortisol - Afternoon (4 - 5 PM) = 1.2* (Reference Range 4.0 - 7.0 nM/L)
Cortisol - Nighttime (10 PM - 12 AM) = 3.0 (Reference Range 1.0 - 3.0 nM/L)
Cortisol Sum = 23.7 (Reference Range 23.0 - 42.0 nM/L)

DHEA-S Average = 3.20 (Reference Range 2.0 - 10.0 ng/mL)
Cortisol/DHEA-S Ratio = 7.41* (Reference Range 5.0 - 6.0 Ratio)

Salivary Estradiol = 0.8 pg/ml
FEMALES:
(Reference Ranges)
Follicular Phase........... 1.0 - 5.0 PG/ML
Midcycle....................... 3.0 - 8.0 PG/ML
Luteal Phase................ 1.0 - 5.0 PG/ML
Postmenopausal ......... 0.5 - 3.0 PG/ML
Physiological Range.... 4.0 - 14.0 PG/ML

Salivary Estriol = 5.0 pg/ml
Female: (Reference Range 2 – 98 pg/ml)
* Estriol reference ranges updated 9/19/2014. These are interim ranges until additional research is completed.

Salivary Progesterone 109.8 pg/ml
FEMALES:
(Reference Ranges)
Premenopausal ............ 50 - 400 PG/ML
Postmenopausal .......... 5.0 - 95 PG/ML
Physiological Range..... 100 - 500 PG/ML

Melatonin (bedtime) 2.2* (Reference Range 12.0 - 35.0 pg/ml)

Testosterone (A.M.) 38.8 pg/ml FEMALE (Reference Range 20.0 - 60.0)
 

drob31

Senior Member
Messages
1,487
With all your hormones being so low, the other question is what does your thyroid hormone profile look like?

I think this is a good start but it doesn't show the whole picture. If all of the hormones were low it could be an arguement for panhypopituitarism.

I'd also want to see serum progesterone, estradiol (serum), lh, fsh, iron with ferritin, b12, vitamin d, tsh, t4, t3, free t3, rt3, CBC with diff.
 

whodathunkit

Senior Member
Messages
1,160
My opinion is just based on your cortisol, which looks okay except for afternoon. Based on my personal experience and what my doctor told me, that would be a moderate amount of adrenal stress at this point, possibly trending towards getting worse.

To illustrate moderate v. severe: I had pretty severe adrenal fatigue. In my only saliva test, my cortisol was like 1.2 first thing in the morning, LOL. And flatlined all day, well below normal at all times, but with a slight increase in afternoon (when it should ramping down for the night), and higher in afternoon and at night than in the morning.

Not really sure how helpful that is since I can't comment on your other hormones and I know that adrenal hormones are synthesized into sex and other hormones, but it's my $0.02 on your adrenals.

An unhelpful rheorical comment on the side: how on earth is that huge reference range for estriol at all useful???!!
 

Ema

Senior Member
Messages
4,729
Location
Midwest USA
Cortisol - Morning (6 - 8 AM) = 13.3 (Reference Range 13.0 - 24.0 nM/L)
Cortisol - Noon (12 - 1 PM) = 6.2 (Reference Range 5.0 - 8.0 nM/L)
Cortisol - Afternoon (4 - 5 PM) = 1.2* (Reference Range 4.0 - 7.0 nM/L)
Cortisol - Nighttime (10 PM - 12 AM) = 3.0 (Reference Range 1.0 - 3.0 nM/L)
Cortisol Sum = 23.7 (Reference Range 23.0 - 42.0 nM/L)

DHEA-S Average = 3.20 (Reference Range 2.0 - 10.0 ng/mL)
Your cortisol cycle is dysregulated in my opinion.

It should be at the top of the range in the morning and slowly fall to the bottom of the range at night. Yours does exactly the opposite in that it is too low in the morning and too high at night. That's probably why your melatonin is also low. It's opposed by cortisol so that when cortisol is low, melatonin is high and vice versa.

Your total cortisol is just barely in range as well and your DHEA is also low.
 
Messages
5
@bdazzled788, what day of your cycle did you do this test?[/QUOTE0

Hi Ema, it was on Day 20

With all your hormones being so low, the other question is what does your thyroid hormone profile look like?

I think this is a good start but it doesn't show the whole picture. If all of the hormones were low it could be an arguement for panhypopituitarism.

I'd also want to see serum progesterone, estradiol (serum), lh, fsh, iron with ferritin, b12, vitamin d, tsh, t4, t3, free t3, rt3, CBC with diff.

Hi drob31, I attached my last 3 bloodworks (just in case).

The last time I had any testing done on my thyroid was awhile ago so I'm not sure how much it helps, but here were the bloodwork results:
Date: 9/30/2014
DHEA-SO4 249.0 (35.0 -430.0 ug/dl)
Enhanced Estradiol 113.2 (pg/ml)
Follicle Stim. Hormone 3.4 (mIU/mL)
Free T3 2.4 (2.3-4.2 pg/ml)
Luteinizing Hormone 4.65 (mIU/mL)
Testorterone, Total (0-80 ng/dL)
Thyroid Abs
Thyroglob AB <20.0 (0-40.0 IU/mL)
Anti TPO AB 23.0 (0-35.0 IU/mL)
Thyroid Stim. Hormone 0.74 (0.55-4.78 mIU/ML)
Thyroxine, Free (T4 Free) 1.13 (0.80 - 1.76) ng/dl
Met. Panel:
Anion Gap: 11 (7-16 mmol/l)
A/G Ratio 1.5 ()
Albumin 4.6 (3.5-5 g/dl)
Bilit, Tot 0.4 (0.2-1.3 mg/dl)
Bun 15 (6-21 mg/dl)
CA 9.6 (8.4 - 10.3 mg/dl)
CL 101 (98-107 mmol/l)
CO2 29 (22-30 mmol/L)
CREA 0.90 (0.52 - 1.04 mg/dl)
Gluc, RND 89 (74-106 mg/dl)
K 4.4 (3.5-5.1 mmol/l)
NA 141 (136-146 mmol/L)
ALK Phos 75 (38-126 U/L)
AST 28 (15-46 U/L)
TP 7.7 (6.3 - 8.2 g/dl)
ALT 30 (13-69 U/L)
EST GFR 78

Thanks so much everyone, I truly appreciate for any help!
 

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whodathunkit

Senior Member
Messages
1,160
Actually, what @Ema said is better than what I said. I guess I was being too subjective since your test was better than mine. Mine was quite a bit worse.

That said, it's good you're doing better. I am, too. Much. It's been a lot of work but very worthwhile. I wish I had the $$$ to get another saliva test to prove it but I'd rather spend my discretionary monies on supplements and other things. ;)
 

drob31

Senior Member
Messages
1,487
Your free t3 is low, and having low cortisol would make it feel even lower.

I'm betting allot of your symptoms are hypothyroid related.

I had the excess urination when my t3 was lower.

Do you have hair loss, water retention, cold hands, etc?