How Blood Markers in a DUTCH Test Reveal Hormone Gaps
When hormones are out of balance, it doesn’t always show up clearly. Some people feel tired no matter how much rest they get. Others feel off, moody, or just not like themselves. These patterns are easy to dismiss or blame on stress or age, but they often have deeper roots that standard blood tests don’t catch.
The DUTCH test gives us a way to look at hormone function from a different angle. It shows how hormones are made, used, and cleared through the body. But when we want the full picture, pairing it with blood markers makes the data clearer. Seeing both sides—how hormones move through urine and how related markers look in the blood—can reveal where things get stuck, used up too quickly, or are missing completely.
People in Waxahachie may be more aware of these shifts as fall rolls in. Shorter days, rising stress, and changes in sunlight start to affect how the body manages its rhythm. That’s when these tests can catch what’s really going on beneath the surface.
How Hormone Imbalance Shows Up in Real Life
The body has a way of sounding the alarm when something’s off. It’s often quiet and easy to brush aside—fatigue that sticks around, sleep that doesn’t feel restful, or skin that suddenly looks puffy or uneven. Some people notice their cycle gets harder to predict, or they start snapping at small things without knowing why. Others feel flat, like the energy that powered them through summer just disappeared.
What’s frustrating is that most general blood tests come back normal. Basic panels might check hormone levels at a surface level, but they don’t always reveal whether those hormones are being used the way they should be.
This is where timing and stress come in. Fall brings more than cooler weather. In Texas, the sudden drop in sunlight and shift in routine can throw off internal patterns. The brain still expects long summer days, but the body starts to slow down. If stress stays high, that creates another layer of imbalance, throwing off hormones like cortisol and estrogen. Without the right tools, these shifts hide in plain sight.
What the DUTCH Test Measures and How It Works
Unlike standard blood tests that show a moment in time, the DUTCH test looks at patterns. It uses dried urine samples to track how hormones move through the body over a full day. That makes a big difference when someone’s symptoms shift depending on the time of day or energy level.
The DUTCH test stands for Dried Urine Test for Comprehensive Hormones. It measures things like estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, cortisol, and melatonin—not just their totals, but what the body is doing with them. That means even if someone has enough of a hormone in general, the test might show the body isn’t using it efficiently. That’s a key way the test uncovers hormone gaps.
What makes this especially helpful is that it picks up on some of the hormone byproducts, not just the base hormone levels. This difference explains why two people with the same estrogen reading might feel completely different. One may be clearing it fast, while the other is recycling it in ways that cause symptoms.
Infinity Wellness Telehealth runs the DUTCH test in combination with saliva hormone panels and micronutrient analysis to help clients see the whole hormone cycle, not just a number on a page.
Key Blood Markers That Fill in the Gaps
The DUTCH test gives a rich view of hormone movement—but it can leave questions. That’s where blood data helps. When we run functional blood panels alongside the DUTCH test, hidden patterns begin to make more sense.
Let’s say someone has irregular cycles and fatigue. Their DUTCH test might show low progesterone output. But if blood labs show low thyroid levels or blood sugar swings, we can see that the hormone drop isn’t happening in isolation. It’s part of a wider pattern.
Here are a few key markers that often pair well with DUTCH results:
- Thyroid panel (TSH, T3, T4): Shows how well the metabolism is supporting hormone signaling
- DHEA and cortisol baseline: Highlights adrenal strength in relation to stress and energy
- Inflammatory markers (CRP, homocysteine): Show how inflammation may be affecting hormone use
- Blood glucose and insulin: Help reveal how sugar stability affects hormone output and mood
Some people feel off, even if these markers look "normal" by general standards. But taken with DUTCH findings, we might discover that a hormone is being made but not being cleared well, or that nutrient deficits are limiting hormone action.
Infinity Wellness Telehealth checks over 50 blood markers through its functional chemistry profiles, allowing deeper comparison to urinary hormone metabolism so nothing important gets missed.
How Season and Daily Habits Impact These Results
A test is only as helpful as the patterns it reveals. That’s why timing matters. In Texas, early October means shorter daylight, cooler mornings, and a shift back into more structured routines. These changes sound small but they impact hormone patterns in real ways.
Less daylight disrupts melatonin and cortisol rhythms—two key hormones for sleep and energy. More time indoors changes the amount of natural movement the body gets, which affects circulation and hormone clearance. If stress builds during this seasonal shift, cortisol can spike or crash, creating a wave of fatigue and tension that doesn't make sense on the surface.
Habits matter too. Here are a few we see that distort hormone results:
- Skipping meals or eating at inconsistent times
- Drinking caffeine late in the day
- Using screens at night without soft light or breaks
- Sleeping less or waking often without knowing why
These patterns can skew both blood and urine markers. If someone tests while going through a particularly off week, their results might reflect that moment, not their normal state. That’s why we often suggest preparing gently—hydrating well, sticking to typical routines, getting sunlight early in the day—and not testing during major stress spikes when it can be avoided.
Your Body’s Telling You Something: Are You Listening?
Feeling tired, foggy, or moody isn’t always about mindset or willpower. It’s often the body pointing to something deeper that needs attention. Hormone issues rarely pop up overnight. They unfold over time and stay hidden under everyday fatigue until symptoms get loud enough to interfere with life.
When we use both the DUTCH test and blood panels together, those silence gaps start to make noise. We can see where something is off, not just that it is. That helps take the guesswork out of support and gives people a path forward that matches how their body’s actually working in that moment of the year.
Fall gives us a natural rhythm shift and a time for reflection. That makes it a useful window to look beneath the surface. People across Waxahachie often notice their energy shift this time of year. Testing when that shift happens can show what support the body’s been asking for long before symptoms became visible.
At Infinity Wellness Telehealth, our comprehensive approach to health considers the full range of factors affecting your well-being, from hormonal shifts to lifestyle changes. If you're seeking deeper insights into your health, our services, including hormone testing in Waxahachie, can uncover what your body truly needs.
At Infinity Wellness, located in Waxahachie, TX, we specialize in holistic, root-cause care tailored to your unique health journey. Serving both local and nationwide patients through in-person and virtual services, we offer comprehensive programs to address conditions such as hormonal imbalances, chronic fatigue, and digestive issues. Our goal is to help you achieve long-term wellness and vitality. Ready to transform your health? Book an appointment with us today!
Don't let unseen imbalances dictate your day-to-day life—partner with our experts to restore balance and vitality this fall. Reach out to us today and take the first step toward a more energized you.