DUTCH Test Hormone Series
PART 2
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE HORMONES WE SEE
ON THE DUTCH TEST + WHY TESTING IS NECESSARY
READ MORE ABOUT THE DUTCH TEST HERE
Hormone health is all about BALANCE.
More is not usually better and this is definitely the case with estrogen.
Estrogen is of the 2 main female hormones. Plays a role not just in reproductive and sexual wellness, but also in brain, skin, bone, heart & liver health too. We have around 60 estrogens, but 3 are the most studied:
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⭐ Estradiol (E2) – the most common type in women of childbearing age & the strongest type of estrogen
⭐ Estrone (E1) – a weak form of estrogen and the only type found in women after the menopause
⭐ Estriol (E3) – the weakest estrogen. Pregnancy is the only time when larger amounts are produced
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Estrogens have to be metabolised (processed) by the body in a healthy way. It’s not just how much we have (as you can see from the images above low or high levels can be a problem), but also what our body does with them. As with all hormones, we want that Goldilocks balance – not too much and not too little. ⚖
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PHASE I estrogen metabolism produces:
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📍16 OH – mostly not beneficial. It is a proliferation pathway, meaning that it does not *cause* cancer, but it does *encourage* growths like cysts & cancer. We want to make no more than 20% of this.
–> What increases levels of 16-OH? Mainly inflammation, BPA, xenoestrogens & phthalates (fake estrogens in plastic, cosmetics, food).
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📍4-OH – mostly not beneficial. It can bind to and damage DNA, and has the potential to contribute to hormone-sensitive cancers (breast, ovarian and uterine/endometrial).
We want to make 10% or less of this. Liver health is crucial here.
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📍2-OH – super beneficial, anti-inflammatory and very protective.
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📈 The DUTCH test shows us all these metabolites and what our body does with estrogen. Unfortunately, blood tests do not show this and blood is the main way to test hormones currently by conventional medicine.

The image above is what we see on the DUTCH and this one shows a skewing in the ratio between the 3 metabolites.
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🤷♀️ WHAT CAN WE DO TO ENSURE HEALTHY ESTROGEN METABOLISM?
- Nutritious, whole food meals
- Targeted supplements (if needed)
- Healthy digestion – gut health is crucial (all of us have some work to do in this area)
- Optimal elimination – at least 1 complete bowel movement daily
- Beneficial lifestyle choices – optimal sleep & rest + appropriate movement
- Dealing with stress in a healthy way + minimising long-term chronic stress
- Toxin reduction – food (hormones, pesticides), food storage, personal care, home environment, water, air
- Liver health – due to the environment we live in and the lifestyles we lead, our livers could do with an extra helping hand in the form of targeted cleanses a few times a year on top of daily actions to help them process toxins effectively
READY TO FIND OUT WHAT'S HAPPENING IN YOUR HORMONES' WORLD AND PUT AN END TO THE GUESSING GAME AND THOSE UNPLEASANT SYMPTOMS?
Book a FREE, no-obligation, 20-min consult to find out if we are a good fit to work together.
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