12/04/2025
Providers see this all the time: symptoms that do not match what serum levels report. Fatigue, mood changes, sleep issues, cycle changes, hot flashes, and anxiety can all continue even when serum values appear normal.
Saliva testing fills in those gaps and gives providers a clearer picture of what is actually happening in the body.
Here is why:
💧 Saliva measures the bioavailable or active portion of hormones. This is the part your cells can actually use.
🩸 Serum often reflects total hormone levels, which do not always match how a patient feels, especially when binding proteins are high.
🌿 Topical and transdermal hormones behave differently in the body. They often raise tissue levels without changing serum values. Dr. Zava explains this in the podcast and highlights why this matters for HRT monitoring.
🕔 Saliva collections make it easier to capture daily rhythm patterns, especially for cortisol.
Our founder, Dr. David Zava, discusses this and more with Dr. Kenna Stephenson on Episode 61 of the Women Talking Frankly podcast.
🎧 Listen now: https://bit.ly/4p0x6Pg