Should I do a DUTCH test to help understand my amenorrhea?
I’ve seen quite a few people recently who’ve gotten a DUTCH test done, particularly the cycle mapping.
I do not find it particularly helpful for diagnosing amenorrhea as many of the hormones related to potential causes of amenorrhea are not included.
The DUTCH test DOES NOT include:
FSH and LH, the two hormones that are related to the status of your hypothalamus.
TSH or prolactin which can indicate other causes of amenorrhea.
The DUTCH test DOES include:
Testing of various precursors and metabolites of androgens that could potentially show if you have PMOS (formerly PCOS).
Cycle mapping:
If you do the cycle mapping test, it looks at estradiol and progesterone through the cycle as well as some metabolites of those two hormones.
But these hormones are downstream of the problem, and aren’t going to tell you anything about the root cause of the amenorrhea, simply that they are not changing as they should. You pretty much know this already given that you are not ovulating or bleeding.
Don't bother!
With all these relevant hormones missing, it is preferable to just get regular bloodwork done so that you can check on and rule out as many potential causes of amenorrhea as possible.
(And if you want guidance from someone with vast experience in making these determinations, you can book a quick chat or longer consult with me.)
Another way to get bloodwork done:
If you sign up for the REVEAL HA registry study (which I encourage, we are hoping to get 10,000 participants from all over the world!), that can include taking a sample for bloodwork. Find out if you're eligible at http://noperiod.info/REVEAL.
Instead of spending hundreds on a test that misses the root cause, you can put your data toward a massive global effort to change how hypothalamic amenorrhea is understood and treated.
Summary
The DUTCH test is not useful for amenorrhea diagnosis. Go here for a list of hormones to test, and find someone who is experienced in diagnosing causes of amenorrhea.
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