My DUTCH Test Results
I have done a DUTCH Complete test at least every year for about the last 10 years. I used to work there as their Medical Director and definitely had employee perks. However, I don’t work there now and still do the test to keep tabs on my health.
Also, no. This is in no way sponsored. You might have done a DUTCH test or have questions about ones you have seen. I thought this might be a nice overview showing you MY results!
First, some background on me. I am 46 years old. I’ll be 47 years old in June 2024 according to my birth certificate, passport, and parents. I have regular cycles. I first noticed perimenopausal symptoms a few years ago that started with more ‘brain farts’ when I typically have a brain that processes very quickly. I noticed much WORSE moods leading up to my period. And this last year I have not been sleeping as well (hello 4am wake-ups!) and itchy ears that are ANNOYING!
I do take progesterone capsules in the luteal phase EXCEPT I did NOT take progesterone during this month of testing so I would see my baseline. I don’t take any other hormones.
I do take supplements for my minerals (including magnesium), electrolytes, B vitamins, and sulforaphane regularly. I pulse in real Vitamin A as I struggle to convert it from beta carotene. I will use Vitamin D/K since I live in the Pacific Northwest. I don’t regularly take a probiotic as intuitively I don’t love them for MY body. Any of them. I play with A LOT of other supplements depending on how I feel, what I’m trying to accomplish or if I’m introducing a new product. I also rotate around peptides like KPV, TB4-frag, or BPC-157. I am not on glandulars or bioregulators.
I do still ovulate - I feel it and see mucus changes leading up to ovulation.
Lastly, this is a quick overview of my results! If you need a practitioner who understands how to order or read the test, you can go to www.dutchtest.com and click on their ‘find a practitioner’ button. Do your due diligence!
Okay - let’s talk about my testing!
Page 1 is the Summary Page.
The dials are read like gas gauges. In between the stars are the luteal phase range of a cycling woman. The little purple rectangular box is the post-menopausal box. Not all dials have a post-menopausal range on the dial but there are reference ranges.
Right off the bat, my dials are in between the stars! My progesterone dial is on the low end of the range at 8.1 but not bad for an almost 47yo! My cortisol pattern is the red line in the gray shaded area. I have an expected ‘up then down’ pattern.
Let’s move on to page 3.
Progesterone dials are on the right.
Estrogen dials are below it and on the right, along with estrogen detoxification (phase 1 and 2).
The androgens, like testosterone, are on the upper left.
Let’s start with progesterones. In urine, actual progesterone does not show up like it would in a blood draw however the 2 metabolites that correlate really well are known as a(alpha)-pregnanediol or b(beta)-pregnanediol.
The beta metabolite is the most abundant in the human body. The alpha metabolite can break down even further in the body to create ALLO. This crosses up into the brain and binds to the calming GABA-a receptors helping you also feel CALM and less anxious.
My levels are not great! And I definitely don’t feel calm especially leading up to my period. I’m way more irritated with low patience. Oops! This is partly why I take oral progesterone capsules to help boost these levels all around.
Below that are my estrogens - estrone, estradiol and estriol. Focusing only on my estradiol, that looks pretty great! Yay me! Before you ask, I don’t know why my estriol is low but I’m not that worried right now.
Below estrone are 3 colored arrows - green, red and blue. This is my phase 1 detoxification. The goal is to go down the green pathway (2-OH) which I do with abundance! Many practitioners use the supplement DIM to push this pathway but I don’t take it or need it. I naturally head this way.
The 4-OH pathway is the red pathway as it has a higher risk for DNA damage.
In the lower left corner it says 2-methoxy-E1. This is part of phase 2 detoxification known as methylation. My dial is in the range at 4.57 which means I do methylate my estrogens! However, I can’t seem to methylate them fast enough for all that 2-OH coming through. This is partly why I take sulforaphane and have added in other support such as creatine and choline. I’m already on methylated B vitamins, magnesium, and zinc.
The upper left corner shows my androgens such as DHEA-S and testosterone. My testosterone has been holding steady the last several years. I’m so happy! I also don’t notice many changes in symptoms such as libido so I’m happy where it’s at. My DHEA-S has dropped though and that’s not good. It could be stress related as my stress at the time of testing was really high (Self-induced! I said yes to everything exciting and phew, it was too much). I am considering supplementing with 1-5mg of DHEA in the morning and see how I feel. I am not worried about my estrogens or if it will create acne or hair loss for me as I don’t seem to favor those pathways.
DHEA does tend to decline in perimenopause and menopause as it is partly made in the ovaries. I’m not menopausal, but DHEA (and testosterone) do not tend to remain robust on their own with aging.
Moving on to page 5.
My melatonin is a healthy 56. So far on every test I have run, my melatonin has always been pretty robust. I do not take it as a supplement. Melatonin production from the pineal gland in the brain is known to decline with age starting at about 50yo. When I get there, I’ll reevaluate.
On the right hand side, I’ll skip the total DHEA marker as I discussed my androgens from page 3.
Below that, my metabolized cortisol is in range at 3485 and my 24hr free cortisol is in range at 112. (As a side note, my thyroid markers have all been tested recently and are great). In the middle on the right side is a gauge where I lean more towards ‘more cortisone metabolites.’ Without getting too complex, I had a lot of stress leading up to this test which can be a reason for someone’s gauge to lean that direction. My stress is largely self-induced in that I say ‘yes’ to a lot of things out of excitement when I need to set better boundaries and say ‘no’ as noted above.
Lastly, my cortisol pattern shows I’m the red line in the gray shaded area. I have a pretty typical rise in the morning then decline in the afternoon to night. Thankfully, my morning energy is pretty good. The goal is to switch from conscious to alert in about 30-45 minutes without needing caffeine, and I am able to do this consistently!
There is a page 6 on the DUTH Test; however, my results were in range, and in the interest in time and space, I did not include it.
In summary, I’m pretty thrilled with me and my results! I’m not perfect, but I do walk my talk most of the time. My husband refers to me as VERY disciplined when it comes to my health. I do this because my family tends to live a very long time, and I plan to do it having fun, loving life, traveling, and being fully strong/mobile. I will likely add in some DHEA and see how it changes anything. I will keep on my luteal phase progesterone and adjust when my cycle changes.
Common questions I have already received:
Why aren’t you taking…<insert product>? As I said above, I take a few solidly, daily. And there are a whole boxful that I rotate around depending on what’s going on. This includes lots of herbs, some fun bioregulators, different antioxidants (including methylene blue), etc. Remember, I have been doing this a LONG time so I know what I like/need.
Why are you taking progesterone? Why not take the herb Vitex (chaste tree)? I absolutely love chaste tree. Personally, I’m beyond it in my perimenopausal journey and need oral progesterone. Spending the money on Vitex to attempt to get me to ovulate ‘better’ is not my goal at almost 47 years old.
What adrenal support are you going to take? Like I said, I’m going to trial in 1-5mg of DHEA and see how that goes. I do often use Cort-Eaze by Nuethix Formulations (code: DRJONES) at night. I do a lot for stress management that does not involve taking any pill in my daily routines.
Why aren’t you starting testosterone? Why wait until it falls? Because I’m not feeling the symptoms, it’s been holding pretty steady and that’s one less thing I would have to take.
Do you have a routine? Yes! I bookend my day! Please note…I do not have children at home and I work from home. In the morning, I get up and turn on my full spectrum light box while I feed my dog in the kitchen (don’t over think the box if you want one - make sure it’s full spectrum. There are tons of options, styles, and sizes out there). I make tea (Pique jasmine green). My husband walks the dog while I go to my ‘spot,’ sit on my PEMF mat, read 10 pages and journal. I have been journaling for many years at this point. Then if time allows I work out in the morning (otherwise I do it at a break later in the day or skip that day). At night after our final dog walk around 7pm, I make Tulsi Rose tea, wind down, clean up, and read a book. Often I will lay on the PEMF mat again in relax mode or now I’m trying out the vagus nerve electrical stim device called a Gamma Core. I rarely watch tv other than football in football season.
When I travel, as all my friends (and husband) know, I basically do the same routines. I bring a tea coil and a mug when I travel so I can heat up my own water in my room. I take my supplements. I make jasmine green tea in the hotel, journal and read. At night, I make Tulsi rose and wind down. If I have room in my suitcase, I’ll bring my travel PEMF mat or the Gamma Core.
In my house, I also have red light boxes (code: drcarriejones) and a Therasage portable sauna that I’m not consistent with even though I really like them. Same goes for meditation - I like it when I do it, but I don’t do it but 2-3 times a week when I think of it.