Hormone Testing at Access Medical Laboratories The Nation's Premiere Laboratory for Integrative Testing

HORMONE INFORMATION - ESTRADIOL

What is it?

An estradiol test measures the amount of a hormone called estradiol. Estradiol is the most important form of estrogen found in the body. Most of it is made in and secreted from the ovaries, adrenal cortex, and placenta.

Estradiol is responsible for the growth of the female uterus, Fallopian tubes, and vagina. It promotes breast development and the growth of the outer genitals. The hormone plays a role in the distrubtion of body fat in women and stops the process of growing taller.

How to Prepare for the Test

Consult your health care provider about the need to stop taking drugs that can affect test results, including:

• Estrogen therapy
• Birth control pills

Why the Test is Performed

This test is used to check the function of the ovaries, placenta, or adrenal glands, particularly when certain types of ovarion tumor are suspected, or when there is delayed or abnormal development of male or female body characteristics. Women undergoing assisted reproductive technology (ART) for infertility may have this test at regular intervals in combination with ultrasound imaging to monitor their ovaries' response to stimulation.

Normal Results

• Male: 10 to 60 picograms per milliliter (pg/mL)
• Female (premenopausal): 20 to 400 pg/mL
• Female (postmenopausal): 5 to 25 pg/mL

Note: Normal value ranges may vary slightly among different laboratories. Talk to your doctor about the meaning of your specific test results.

What Abnormal Results Mean

Greater-than-normal levels may indicate ovarian tumor.
Lower-than-normal levels may indicate Turner syndrome.
The test may also be used to monitor patients with hypopituitarism and women undergoing certain fertility treatments.

HORMONE IMBALANCE SYMPTOMS IN WOMEN Allergy symptoms Depression, Fatigue, Anxiety Endometriosis Fibrocystic breasts Hair loss, facial hair growth Headaches, dizziness Low sex drive Osteoporosis PMS Urinary tract infection Weight gain Wrinkly skin

HORMONE IMBALANCE SYMPTOMS IN MEN Difficulty passing urine Mood swings Inability to lose weight Fatigue Foggy thinking, Memory loss Lack of interest in sex Reduced muscle strength Erectile dysfunction Enlarged prostate Burning sensation urinating Panic, weeping Blood sugar imbalance

RESOURCES:

1. Douma SL, Husband C., O¹Donnell, M.E., Barwin B.N., Woodend AK. Estrogen-related Mood Disorders Reproductive Life Cycle Factors.Advances in Nursing Science(2005), 28: No. 4:147-160.
2. Lasiuk GC,.The Effects of Estradiol on Central Serotonergic Systems and Its Relationship to Mood in Women. Biological Research for Nursing. (2007), 9: No. 2:364-375. DOI: 10.1177/1099500407605600
3. Collins P, Rosano GM, Sarrel PM, Ulrich L, Adamopoulos S, Beale CM, McNeill JG, Poole-Wilson PA. 17 beta-Estradiol attenuates acetylcholine-induced coronary arterial constriction in women but not men with coronary heart disease. Circulation. 1995 Jul 1;92(1):24-30 PMID 7788912