The DUTCH Cycle Mapping™ PLUS not only maps estrogen and progesterone through the monthly menstrual cycle but also adds the comprehensiveness of all the hormone metabolites along with the cortisol awakening response (CAR).
Hormonal balance is key. Fluctuating levels of estradiol and progesterone play a major role in a woman’s overall health. This panel is designed for cycling women who struggle with ongoing symptoms such as monthly migraines, fertility issues, or PCOS. The addition of the cortisol awakening response (CAR), a transient, immediate rise in cortisol upon awakening (distinct from the diurnal rhythm), provides a fuller assessment of hormone fluctuations, baseline stress response, and reflects a patient’s ability to cope with anticipated challenges.
CAR also shows a patient’s perception of control around chronic stress, providing insight into HPA resiliency. Altered cortisol is seen in pain and migraines as well as psychiatric issues such as depression. In patients with migraines, altered cortisol may be of physiological origin and can contribute to pain and depression, especially when a high CAR is found. Estrogen fluctuations have also been linked to migraine frequency for some women, combining the monthly measurement, hormone metabolites and the CAR is ideal for fully assessing hormonal interactions with patients who have migraines.
In addition, women with PCOS often also have altered HPA axis function. As many providers know, PCOS is a syndrome but not all women have all the symptoms, so treatment should be guided by the unique set of circumstances an individual woman faces. And although the syndrome is named after dysfunction in the ovaries, it is truly a syndrome involving the hypothalamic signaling, and some women experience adrenal-sourced androgen excess. Thoroughly assessing the HPA axis is essential for starting on the right path in treating PCOS.
Dealing with fertility issues can be stressful, and stress increases the incidence of anovulatory cycles and poor fertility rates. When assessing the cycle for issues, providers may also benefit from seeing a patient’s baseline response to stress (CAR) as it may be impacting pregnancy.
DUTCH Cycle MappingTM PLUS uses more sample collections for mapping (first-morning urine collections) and
performs testing on targeted samples based on the actual
length of the cycle. In addition, one full day of four (4) urine and five (5) or six (6) saliva samples are collected, providing the comprehensive hormone metabolite and cortisol awakening responce (CAR) results.
We believe in a holistic system of healing based on traditional Chinese medicine and the principle of internal balance and harmony. Those fundamental theories take a deep understanding of the human body and underlying problems. It explains the importance of health and overall wellbeing, having a problem in one part of your body may cause the disruption in other organs. Therefore, to treat symptoms and illnesses, we need to identify the core of the problem before any treatments can begin.
With over 30 year experience in natural therapies and medicines we truly understand the profound effect health concerns can have to a person, their families and their quality of life. That is why we give you the best naturopathic treatments available that tailored to suit individual needs to achieve maximum results, while always reanalyse your body to monitoring the success of each health program that prescribes to you.