Home Tests

Pharma TRT
1

Has anyone used the home tests found on Amazon? Some of the ones I saw are:

ZRT - Free Testosterone - $35
ZRT - Total Testosterone - $35
ZRT - E2 - $35
ZRT - Free and Total Testosterone - $68
ZRT - Adrenal Saliva Hormone Profile - $168
ZRT - DHEA - $35
ZRT - testosterone (Free), estrogen (estradiol), cortisol - $99
ZRT - Free thyroxine (fT4), free triiodothryronine (fT3), thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), thyroid peroxidase antibody (TPO). - $180
Labrix - E1, E2, E3, Pg, T, DHEA, AM, Noon, Evening and PM Cortisol levels - $315
ZRT - estradiol (estrogen), progesterone, testosterone, DHEAS, plus 4 cortisol tests to be taken over 24 hours.
ZRT - cortisol stress test - 2 tests - $69

Some reasons why one might want to use these:

  • Saliva tests may be more accurate than blood tests. Most docs don’t do saliva tests?
  • Some of the tests allow you to take saliva at multiple times during the day. The doc won’t do this.
  • If you just want to check one thing (say total testosterone) it may be more convenient than going to the doctor.

Questions:

  • Are the results basically the same as other blood lab tests? In other words, will they be easy to interpret?
  • Can you trust the results are accurate?
2

Saliva tests may be more accurate than blood tests:

  • really? They are accurate at what then measure and blood tests are accurate about serum levels. If one knows that levels are associated with varying degrees of health, then one can make adjustments and specify therapeutic targets and protocols. If you choose a method where few are familiar, that will not work well.

Are saliva tests picked up by insurance?
Are there local or regional labs?

Docs can’t abandon blood testing, so why should they guinea pig some clients as they learn?

3

Fair enough.

My doctor did not have access to the cortisol saliva test, but was aware of it and suggested that I do it. So even though it is costly, it is at least an option.

Also, if you just want to do something simple like total testosterone, $35 is a great deal. If I had known about that earlier, I would have taken action sooner. When guys are younger and really busy, going to the doctor is a huge hassle. I will probably still do some intermediate testing of total testosterone and E2 via the saliva tests. I am just not sure they are interpreted in the same way.