Female Saliva

Hormone Testing

The Simple Steps of Saliva Collection:

 Getting Ready…. 

  1. Read this entire section carefully before collecting saliva and select the best morning/day for collection.
  2. Plan a little extra time depending on dryness of your mouth; sample collecting can take about 15-20 minutes. For dry mouths, you can stimulate saliva by gently pressing the tip of your tongue against your teeth. If necessary chew sugarless gum to stimulate saliva flow.
  3. Lay out the kit’s contents the night before as a reminder to collect saliva in the morning.
  4. Fill out the requisition form with black ink (no gel or marker pens) the night before to save yourself some time. Don’t forget to add the date and time of collection to the form once saliva has been collected.
  5. Take your hormones at least 12-24 hours (36 hours is using Sublingual or Troche) before you plan on collecting saliva. Take caution to not apply topical hormones to face/neck the night before collection.
  6. Change pillowcase the night before you collect (to avoid possible contamination).

 GUIDELINES FOR WOMEN:

Women with Menstrual Cycles: Collect saliva during luteal phase or latter half of menstrual cycle.

Ï    In a normal 28-day menstrual cycle, this is usually days 19-21 (counting the first day of your period as day 1) OR one week after menses.

Ï    If your cycles are long (e.g. 32 days), you still need to collect between days 19-21.

Ï    If you have shorter cycles, estimate the start date of your next period and collect one week before that day.

Ï    If you have missed a cycle, it is best to wait until your next cycle than collect as above.

Ï    If you have missed many cycles, collect any day during the month.

 

Post-Menopausal Women or Women who have had a Hysterectomy (with or without removal of ovaries):

Ï    Collect saliva any day during the month.

 Women taking Hormone Replacement or Birth Control (regardless of menstrual cycle):

Ï    If you use hormones, continue as usual.

Ï    Saliva sample should be collected at the end of the hormone treatment cycle.

Ï    If you use hormones 12-15 days or 21-25 days a month, collect saliva 3-4 days before the end of the hormone treatment cycle.

Ï    If hormones are taken daily, saliva can be collected any day during the month.

Ï    If hormones are taken under the tongue as a sublingual or troche, wait at least 36 hours from your last dose before collecting saliva.

Ï    If you have recently started hormone therapy, hormones should be used for at least 2 weeks before saliva collection.  

WHEN SHOULD I COLLECT SAMPLES?

Single Tube Kit: If your kit contains 1 large tube, collect saliva in the morning (am) within 30 minutes of rising before eating, drinking, or brushing teeth. (This saliva sample is used to test all hormones EXCEPT noon, evening, and night cortisol)

Two Tube Kit: If your kit contains 1 large tube and 1 small tube, collect saliva as above in morning (large tube), and again before bed (small tube). Each collection should be at least 2 hours apart from eating and drinking. These saliva samples are used to test all hormones (large tube) plus night cortisol (small tube).

Four Tube Kit: If your kit contains 1 large tube and 3 small tubes, collect saliva as above in morning (large tube), and again after lunch, before dinner, and before bed (small tubes). Each collection should be at least 2 hours apart from eating and drinking. (These saliva tests samples are used to test all hormones (large tube) plus noon, evening, and night cortisol (small tubes).

 

EASY STEPS TO SUCCESSFUL SALIVA COLLECTION:

  1. Wash hands & rinse mouth:

Wash hands and rinse mouth twice with cold water just before collecting saliva. 

 

Do NOT eat, drink, brush teeth, or floss before collecting sample.

 

  1. Begin filling the tube:

Begin collecting saliva sample in plastic tube (large tube for am collection and smaller tubes [if enclosed] for noon, evening, and night collection)

 

To ensure accurate results and avoid retesting fill tube(s) at least ½ full.

 

DO NOT PLACE ABSORBANT MATERIAL IN TUBE(S).

  1. Cap tube & print your name:

Cap tube(s) tightly.

 

Print name, date, & time

(specify am or pm) of

collection on the label.

 

  1. Place tube in zip-lock bag:

Place the tube(s) in the plastic

zip-lock bag containing the absorbent material and seal bag.

 

 

  1. Complete registration form:

Complete the requisition form and any other paperwork that may be in the kit.

 

Don’t forget to have your health care provider indicate what tests are to be completed at the bottom of the form.

 
  1. Place in mailer & seal:

Place the tube(s) and applicable paperwork (original requisition form must be returned) in the box.

 

 

The box serves as the USPS mailer by turning over the lid to reveal the pre-paid USPS label OR if UPS mailer bag enclosed, place the box in the mailer bag, affix the label and give to any UPS driver or drop-off site.

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NOTE: California Residents - Business and Professions Code 1246.5 Requires That Any Test that has not been approved by the Federal Food and Drug Administration for sale to the public without a prescription as an Over-The-Counter Test kit must be ordered by a Licensed physician acting on a patient's behalf.  All orders for test kits within the state of California

NOTE: New York State Residents New York State health law prohibits the testing of certain specimens collected in or mailed from New York, and prohibits the transmission of data from our laboratory to NY physicians or residents. Therefore, direct receipt of lab results for NY residents is not possible.

International Residents & Orders:  Extra shipping charges may be added for international orders.  Patients will be contacted by e-mail or telephone to approve charges.