When Is The Best Time To Test Your Hormones? Experts Answer

Women can test their hormones for a number of reasons, including detecting hormonal imbalances and fertility concerns. However, taking a hormone test on a random day of your cycle and assessing those numbers without considering natural fluctuations can cause undue panic.

Unfortunately, there's not one perfect time to test your hormones because it depends on many factors like birth control, symptoms of concern, cycle consistency, and so on. 

That being said, not everyone has access to free hormone testing through their physician, and at-home tests can be expensive, so it's important to time your testing to get the most bang for your buck.

Testing at different parts of the cycle will trigger different results depending on which hormones are naturally at their peak. This means that a perfectly healthy person could have "imbalanced" hormones when testing during certain phases of their cycle.

Medication will also impact your results, so ask your doctor about what to expect if you're on any medication. And yes, this nuance applies to both those on and off birth control pills as well.

As a general rule, those who are not on hormonal birth control should avoid testing during the beginning of the follicular phase (which starts on the first day of your period and lasts around 16 days).

"In a healthy adult woman with regular menstrual cycles, the levels of estrogen and progesterone will be extremely low at the beginning of the follicular phase of her cycle," board-certified integrative medicine doctor and author of the upcoming book The Hormone Shift, Taz Bhatia, M.D., tells mindbodygreen. 

She adds, "During this time, these hormone levels may closely mimic those of a menopausal woman, even if her ovaries are still functioning." 

So, any testing conducted during this phase of the menstrual cycle might not represent accurate results. This doesn't mean there's no reason to ever test during this phase, but you should keep the base levels in mind when viewing your results and try to avoid that period if you can.

As for those on oral birth control, Bhatia recommends testing during the week of your placebo pills between days 19 and 21 of your cycle. 

If you visit your doctor with certain symptoms that correlate with one specific hormone being out of balance, then these dates may shift to get a snapshot of that specific hormone. 

"For example, progesterone levels are usually tested during the luteal phase, which is often days five to seven of one's cycle, in order to get the most accurate reading," board-certified OB/GYN and Head Of Wellness at Modern Age Shoma Datta-Thomas, M.D., FACOG, tells mindbodygreen.

Estrogen levels can also be tested during the luteal phase, Bhatia says. "Assessing your estrogen levels, particularly in relation to progesterone during the luteal phase, can help you determine if your symptoms, such as weight gain, irritability, and heavy periods, are associated with estrogen dominance." 

As Thomas notes, testing non-sex hormones like cortisol and thyroid should be done in the morning. 

But still, your physician may decide to take your test during different windows depending on your symptoms or concerns. Your doctor may also suggest taking multiple tests to compare your hormones during different phases of the cycle and then compare your results to a standard hormone fluctuation. 

While birth control pills will impact the results of your hormone test, they won't necessarily deem it useless. 

"The advantage of hormone testing while on the pill also allows us to understand how your body is metabolizing hormones," Bhatia says.

That said, you should expect some imbalances in your results. 

"Hormonal birth control, like a combination estrogen and progesterone birth control pill, will be expected to reflect very low natural estrogen and progesterone levels as you are receiving a synthetic supply of these hormones," Thomas explains. 

An irregular cycle is one of the most common signs of a hormone imbalance, but it can make it more confusing when it comes to testing your hormones as well. Don't let this discourage you from testing, though.

"With an irregular cycle, it is hard to know when to time testing—I recommend starting by just getting a test done and then working with your doctor to hone in on next steps," Thomas says.

There are still standard deviations for hormone levels even if you're not entirely sure where you're at in your cycle, so getting a test as the first step will give you a jumping-off point for future tests.

As you can tell, testing your hormones is quite a nuanced process. For this reason, it's important to see your results as a starting point and make sure you consult your physician, even if you complete an at-home test. 

Otherwise, you may find yourself sparking anxiety about an imbalance that doesn't exist or a natural hormonal fluctuation. When in doubt, consult an expert.