You’ve visited your GP and they have run the tests. Maybe more than once. You’ve been told everything looks fine, but you still don’t feel well.
You’re tired all the time. Your brain doesn’t work the way it used to. Your gut is unpredictable. You can’t sleep. Your mood is all over the place.
For some women, there’s a quiet dismissal, they are told it’s stress, hormones, or it’s normal for their age. If you’re a woman over 35, symptoms get blamed on perimenopause. If you’re under 35? It’s still blamed on hormones in some way.
Meanwhile, you’re still not yourself and there is nothing more on offer from your GP, other than an SSRI or a trial of HRT. My goal with clients is to understand why.
Blood tests are useful, but they’re designed to screen for disease. They are not great for assessing how well your body is functioning. They won’t pick up how your body is coping with stress.Or whether you’re making (or clearing) hormones effectively. They can’t identify what your mitochondria are doing, or not doing. Whether your gut is producing toxins that affect your brain and mood, or if you’re missing key nutrients that don’t always get checked in a full blood count.
That’s where deeper testing comes in. Here I’ll discuss the two tests that I use most often with clients to identify issues and give actionable results.
The Organic Acid Test (OAT)
This test looks at over 70 markers related to how your body is functioning on a metabolic level. It can show: issues with energy production (your mitochondria), neurotransmitter imbalances like low serotonin or dopamine and yeast and bacterial overgrowth in the gut. It can also identify nutrient deficiencies that are not tested in a full blood count or might not show up in blood work. It’s particularly helpful for identifying whether your body is utilising B12. Useful when you are already supplementing and blood tests are not reliable. The OAT is often used to identify problems with detoxification and inflammation
The organic acid test (OAT) is particularly helpful if you’re dealing with fatigue, brain fog, low mood, anxiety or gut symptoms.
The DUTCH Complete Test
This is a detailed hormone test that maps your sex and adrenal hormones, including how you metabolise them. It shows your estrogen and progesterone balance, highlighting any imbalances. You’ll see if you’re clearing oestrogen effectively. The DUTCH Complete looks at your cortisol levels and nutrient markers like B6, B12 and glutathione activity.
If you’re struggling with hormonal symptoms, PMS, perimenopause, sleep disruption, or burnout the DUTCH Complete can help identify what needs to be done to achieve balance.
Which One Should You Do?
The Organic Acid Test helps identify what’s happening with energy, mood, and gut health.
The DUTCH Complete shows how your hormones and stress response are behaving and whether they’re being managed or creating your symptoms.
Either test can help us understand what’s behind your symptoms, so we can stop guessing and start working with real information.
If you’re not getting answers, or if you feel dismissed these tests can help us get clear on what your body actually needs.
If you’d like to know which test is right for you fill in the contact form below with any questions you might have.
