SEX HORMONE TESTING
Can I Test My Sex Hormones while on the Pill?
Whether you are using an oral contraceptive pill (OCPs) or another form of hormonal birth control, you’ll want to save this article. Why? To save you money and time. I explain why testing your sex hormones while you’re on hormonal birth control is a waste of your hard earned money.
Why You Shouldn’t Get Hormonal Labs While On Hormonal Birth Control?
Whether you are taking the pill, ring, injection, patch, implant, or IUD (other than the Copper IUD), you are being given exogenous hormones. Exogenous hormones alter the natural occurring levels of hormones within your body. These alterations skew the levels and balance of hormones that will be collected on your lab work, whether blood, urine, or saliva. Also, because these forms of hormones are often aimed to stop ovulation, labs collected at this time do not take into account the ebbs and flow of our natural hormonal cycle. Instead it will be reproducing the amount of hormone that your hormonal birth control is providing.
Biochemically, the combo pill which contains both estrogen and progestin, prevents the pituitary from releasing follicular stimulating hormones (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH), the brain hormones that specifically communicate with the ovaries. This blocks communication, and ultimately prevents follicles from properly maturing into an egg, shutting down ovulation, and effectively preventing pregnancy.
image credit: pearl fertility
image credit: pearl fertility
It is because of this control in hormones through the use of these hormonal contraceptives, like the pill, that it does not benefit us to collect sex hormone labs in hopes to balance hormones. Birth control was aimed at “controlling birth” through hormones. Balancing hormones while on birth control contradicts and conflicts with the overall goal with the time of its use. You can refer to the images above to see the difference in hormone circulation with and without hormonal birth control. Please note that this can slightly vary if you are on progestin only contraceptives like Mirena IUD, Nexplanon, or Progestin-only Pill.
When SHOULD You Test Your SEX Hormones?
The simple is —when you are ready to come off hormonal contraceptives. Allow about 3 months after coming off before testing hormones. Running labs too soon can risk that your labs will still be reading exogenous hormones that take time to release from the body. After 3 months we can have a good idea about where your natural cycle is, like—-has it returned? Is it coming irregularly or regularly? What symptoms are currently present? This allows us to determine what time of the menstrual cycle it will be best to collect your sex hormones within your cycle, as well as get a plan in place on how to best support your hormone needs.
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