- (910) 248-4853
- 250 MacDougall Dr. Seven Lakes, NC 27376
Understanding the Test
DUTCH stands for Dried Urine Test for Comprehensive Hormones. It’s a specialty urine test that measures your hormone levels and their metabolites — the breakdown products that show how your body is actually processing estrogen, cortisol, and other key hormones.
Unlike a single blood draw, DUTCH uses dried urine samples collected at multiple points over 24 hours. This captures your hormone rhythms across the day — something blood tests simply can’t do.
I use DUTCH testing with clients who are dealing with stubborn hormonal symptoms that standard labs have failed to explain. The results guide a truly personalized nutrition and supplement plan — not a generic protocol.
Dried Urine Test for
Urine collected on filter paper
More stable than blood or saliva
Hormone levels + metabolites
35+ markers in one test
Sex + adrenal + cortisol rhythm
Could This Be You?
These symptoms often get dismissed or attributed to stress, age, or anxiety. But they frequently have a hormonal root — one that the DUTCH test is specifically designed to uncover.
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May indicate adrenal dysfunction or cortisol rhythm disruption
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Often linked to estrogen dominance or low progesterone
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Can reflect abnormal nighttime cortisol patterns
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Often a cortisol and metabolic hormone issue
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Reflects shifting estrogen and progesterone balance
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Tied to low testosterone, cortisol dysregulation, or estrogen imbalance
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May point to low androgens or progesterone insufficiency
The DUTCH test is used for both men and women, though it's especially valuable for:
What the DUTCH Test Measures
Unlike a single hormonal blood test, the DUTCH test maps your entire hormonal landscape — including the pathways your body uses to break down and clear hormones, which is where many problems hide.
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Shows not just your estrogen level, but the specific pathways your liver uses to process it. Some pathways are protective; others increase cancer and symptom risk.
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Low progesterone is one of the most common and under-recognized hormone issues in women — linked to anxiety, insomnia, and cycle irregularities.
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Critical for energy, motivation, muscle strength, and libido in both men and women. Imbalances here are often missed by standard testing.
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Cortisol should follow a specific daily pattern — high in the morning, tapering by night. DUTCH maps your actual rhythm at 4 time points to reveal dysfunction.
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Melatonin controls sleep onset and immune function. DUTCH includes a nighttime melatonin marker that reveals circadian disruption affecting sleep quality.
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DUTCH also includes markers for B12 status, B6 function, glutathione, and neurotransmitter metabolism — connecting hormones to nutrient imbalances.
DUTCH vs. Standard Testing
Standard blood tests have their place. But for hormonal symptoms, they frequently come back “normal” even when something is clearly wrong. Here’s why.
STANDARD BLOOD TESTS
The DUTCH Test
How It Works
The DUTCH test is a home collection kit — no lab visit, no needles. Here’s what the process looks like when you work with me.
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We start with a free 20-minute call to discuss your symptoms and history and determine if DUTCH testing is right for you.
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Once you sign up, we do a full intake session. I then order your labs, bloodwork goes to your nearest LabCorp, and any kit-based tests (DUTCH, stool, urine, hair) are mailed directly to you at home.
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You visit LabCorp for bloodwork at your convenience, and follow the included kit instructions for home collection. Everything ships back to the lab in pre-paid packaging.
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Once all results are in, I build your starting treatment plan. From there we meet monthly, with messaging support in between sessions as your plan evolves.
How It Works
DUTCH results are detailed and complex. Without someone who understands functional nutrition and the interconnections between hormones, nutrients, and mental health — you’re left with a beautiful report and no idea what to do with it.
I’m Samantha Gilbert, a Certified Functional Nutrition Counselor with over 20 years of experience. I specialize in the root-cause approach to mood, energy, hormonal, and digestive issues — and DUTCH testing is one of the most valuable tools in my practice.
I connect your hormones to your whole picture — including gut health, methylation, zinc and copper status, and mental health symptoms.
Common Questions
A standard blood test gives you a single snapshot of your hormone levels at one moment in time. The DUTCH test collects samples across a full 24-hour period, maps your cortisol rhythm throughout the day, shows how your hormones are being metabolized and cleared from your body, and includes melatonin and nutritional markers that blood panels don’t come close to measuring. It’s a completely different depth of information, and that depth is exactly what helps us find the root cause of your symptoms.
It is much simpler than most people expect. The test kit arrives by mail and includes everything you need — filter paper collection strips, step-by-step instructions, and a pre-paid return envelope. You collect urine samples on the strips at specific times over 24 hours, allow them to dry, and mail them back. There are no needles, no clinic visits, and no complicated procedures. Most clients find the process very straightforward once they read through the instructions.
Not at all. Men benefit from DUTCH testing too, particularly those dealing with low energy, poor motivation, brain fog, weight gain around the midsection, mood changes, or low libido. The test provides a full picture of testosterone metabolism, cortisol patterns, and androgen balance that standard male hormone panels routinely miss.
We start with a free discovery call to talk through your symptoms, history, and health goals. If DUTCH testing is the right fit, you sign up and we schedule your initial consultation. I then order the test and the kit is mailed directly to your home. You collect your dried urine samples following the included instructions, then ship everything back to the lab in the pre-paid packaging provided. Once your results are in, I build your personalized starting treatment plan and we begin working through it together — meeting monthly with plan updates and messaging support in between sessions.
For women who are still cycling, days 19 to 22 of your menstrual cycle are ideal. This is the luteal phase when progesterone is at its peak, giving the most clinically useful snapshot. If your cycle is irregular or you are post-menopausal, timing is more flexible. I will give you specific guidance before you collect based on where you are in your cycle.
Yes. I work with international clients regularly. If you are based in Canada, you can either have your kit mailed to a US address such as a UPS mailbox or a friend or family member’s address, or cross the border to access LabCorp for bloodwork if needed. I have several clients in Vancouver, BC who have set this up with no issues. Reach out during your discovery call and we will work out the best approach for your location.
Schedule your free 20-minute consultation with Samantha. We’ll talk through your symptoms, your history, and whether DUTCH testing is the right next step for you — no pressure, no obligation.