Your DUTCH test in Australia, arranged and explained

What the DUTCH test looks at

DUTCH stands for Dried Urine Test for Comprehensive Hormones, and the test comes from the lab Precision Analytical.

You collect small urine samples at home on collection strips, and they dry before they go back to the lab.

Your report then covers several areas:

• Your sex hormones, such as oestrogens, progesterone and testosterone, and their metabolites
• Your free cortisol pattern across the day
• Your cortisol metabolites
• Organic acids, a set of extra markers the lab reports alongside your hormones

I read your results alongside your history and symptoms, so the test adds detail to the bigger picture we build together.

It's a test I arrange and explain, and any diagnosis stays with your GP or specialist.

How the DUTCH test works, step by step

Here's how the test fits around your consults:

1. 1Your first consultIn your 60-minute first consult, we go through your health history and decide together whether the DUTCH suits you.
2. 2Your at-home kitIf we go ahead, I order your kit for $430, and it comes with the lab's step-by-step collection instructions.
3. 3Collecting your samplesThe lab explains that for its DUTCH Complete test, you collect 4 or 5 dried urine samples over 24 hours, then send them back to the lab.
4. 4Your results consultOnce your results arrive, we go through them together in a 45-minute results consult, charged separately at $180, and build them into your plan.
5. 5Your follow-upsShorter 30-minute follow-ups let us check in and fine-tune your plan as we go.

Every consult is by Zoom, so you can do the whole process from home, whether you're in Brisbane or anywhere else in Australia.

When I may suggest a DUTCH test

I suggest the DUTCH where your history points to your hormones, and it's always your choice.

These are some of the areas where it can add useful detail:

• Period health, including irregular, heavy or painful periods and PMS (more on hormonal health)
• PCOS, as part of the support I offer for your cycle, skin and energy
• Endometriosis, as part of the wider support I offer
• Perimenopause and menopause, when your cycle and how you feel are changing
• Preparing for pregnancy, where your cycle and hormones are part of the picture
• Stress and sleep, where your cortisol pattern across the day could be useful to look at

If your history points more to your gut, a comprehensive stool test or microbiome mapping may suit you better, and my page on gut health explains how I look at it.

We may also start without any testing at all, and add it later if it could help.

Going through your results together

Your results come back as a detailed report, and I'll take you through it in plain words.

We look at how your results sit with your symptoms, your cycle and your history, and what that means for your plan.

Your plan may include:

• Diet and nutrition changes that suit your tastes and your routine
• Lifestyle support for stress and sleep
• Support for your cycle and your gut, where they're part of the picture
• Where it suits you, natural medicines, explained clearly

Every body responds in its own way, so your plan is built around you and reviewed as we go.

If your results are worth sharing with your GP or specialist, I'll let you know, and you're welcome to take your report along.

Cost and booking

The DUTCH test kit is $430.

Your results consult is charged separately, at $180, so set aside 45 minutes for it.

My other consult fees are on fees and booking, where you can also book your first consult.

I'm based in Greenslopes on Brisbane's southside, and my Brisbane clients do the DUTCH from home, the same as everyone else in Australia.