Hormone Health Panel

Comprehensive hormone health panel measuring sex hormones, adrenal hormones, and thyroid function to assess energy levels, libido, mood, body composition, and reproductive health. The panel includes total and free testosterone, estradiol, progesterone, DHEA-S, morning cortisol, SHBG, LH, FSH, and a full thyroid panel. Results are delivered within forty-eight hours via a secure portal with written clinician interpretation. Suitable for men and women investigating hormonal imbalance, perimenopause, androgen deficiency, or adrenal fatigue.

The Hormone Health Panel at River District Wellness provides a structured assessment of the major endocrine axes governing energy, metabolism, libido, body composition, mood, and reproductive function. The panel is structured around three pillars: the gonadal axis, the adrenal axis, and thyroid function. For the gonadal axis, total testosterone and calculated free testosterone (derived from total testosterone and SHBG) provide complementary information — total testosterone reflects production volume, while free testosterone represents the biologically active fraction not bound to sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) or albumin, making it the clinically actionable value for evaluating androgen deficiency symptoms. Estradiol (E2) is the primary oestrogen in pre-menopausal women and a critical modulator of bone density, cardiovascular health, and cognitive function in both sexes; in men, elevated E2 relative to testosterone indicates aromatase excess or hepatic dysfunction. Progesterone is assessed in the context of the luteal phase in cycling women and as a cortisol precursor indicator in both sexes. Luteinising hormone (LH) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) distinguish primary gonadal failure from central (hypothalamic-pituitary) hypogonadism — elevated LH/FSH with low sex hormones indicates the gonads are not responding; normal or low LH/FSH with low sex hormones indicates the signalling chain upstream has failed. SHBG is measured directly as the primary binding protein modifying effective sex hormone bioavailability; insulin resistance, obesity, and certain medications suppress SHBG, artificially elevating total testosterone while free testosterone remains low. For the adrenal axis, morning cortisol (collected 7:00–9:00 AM at peak diurnal production) screens for adrenal insufficiency (Addison's disease) and HPA axis dysregulation associated with chronic stress. DHEA-S (dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate) is a long-half-life adrenal androgen and cortisol precursor that declines linearly with age; sub-optimal levels correlate with fatigue, reduced muscle mass, and diminished stress resilience. The thyroid panel (TSH, free T3, free T4) is included because thyroid dysfunction — particularly subclinical hypothyroidism — produces overlapping symptoms with sex hormone deficiency (fatigue, weight gain, low libido, depression) and must be differentiated before hormonal optimisation is considered. All results include a written clinician interpretation contextualising values against reference ranges, symptoms reported, and age-adjusted norms.