Understanding the DUTCH Complete Test: What It Is, Who It Helps, and When I Like to Use It in Practice.
First: What is the DUTCH Test?
The DUTCH Complete Test is a dried urine hormone test that looks at more than just hormone levels.
It measures:
Estrogens, progesterone, and androgens.
How those hormones are being metabolized.
Cortisol patterns throughout the day.
Total cortisol output.
Most standard bloodwork gives us a snapshot of then and there hormones. The DUTCH test gives us a little deeper story of the pattern.
And in some cases, patterns do a great job explaining those unexplainable symptoms.
What Makes the DUTCH Test Different?
In practice, one of the things l like the most about the DUTCH test is that it shows how the body is handling hormones, not just how much is there.
Two patients can have similar or even the exact estrogen levels on bloodwork and feel completely different.
One feels pretty good.
The other experiences:
PMS
Breast tenderness
Headaches
Heavy or irregular cycles
The difference often comes down to metabolism pathways and clearance.
The DUTCH test allows us to look deeper into:
Estrogen metabolism pathways
Cortisol rhythm and stress patterns
Progesterone metabolites
Overall hormone processing
This gives us a little more context for those confusing symptoms.
Who the DUTCH Test is Most Helpful For
In my experience, the DUTCH test is most helpful when symptoms and standard labs don’t fully align, so do your standard labs first.
1. Women with Cycle Issues or PMS.
Patients dealing with:
Severe PMS
Heavy or irregular cycles
Breast tenderness or nodules that pop up with cycle changes
Mood swings
Like with my own hormone experience, these women benefit from understanding how estrogen is being metabolized and whether progesterone is present and helping to balance out estrogen. Also what role androgens are playing and who is trying to lead the show versus who isn’t even showing up to play.
2. Fertility and Hormone Issues
For women trying to conceive, I use the DUTCH test to help us figure out:
Whether or not ovulation is even occurring (via progesterone metabolites)
Stress patterns that may be impacting hormones ability to do their jobs
Overall hormone balance between estrogen, progesterone and androgens
If cortisol patterns are indicating stress physiology- thyroid issues, under fueling or insulin resistance
It’s not a fertility test on its own, but it can important information when trying to understand why we might be struggling to get pregnant or having frequent miscarriages.
3. Perimenopause
Perimenopause is often a very confusing and frustrating time for women, so this is why the DUTCH test can help.
This period in our lives is characterized by:
Fluctuating estrogen levels
Inconsistent ovulation
Decreasing progesterone output
Increased sensitivity to stress
The DUTCH test can help identify patterns that explain symptoms like:
Sleep issues
Mood changes- depression, anxiety, or like PMS x100
Irregular cycles
Fatigue
4. A History of Hormone Issues plus Chronic Stress Patterns
When patients describe:
Feeling alert but exhausted
Energy crashes throughout the day
Poor sleep despite fatigue
Looking at cortisol patterns over the course of the day can provide insight into HPA axis function and stress adaptation and I like seeing this with the hormone metabolism...
However, if there is no sign or history of a sex hormone issue and the person is just experiencing chronic stress and fatigue or anxiety or depression something like a standard hormone panel, thyroid panel as well as a salivary cortisol stand alone test could be enough to provide context and save the patient some money.
When It’s NOT the First Step
One of the biggest misconceptions is that the DUTCH test should be the starting point for hormone concerns.
In many cases, it’s not.
If a patient has not addressed or assessed:
Nutrition, having adequate input for their output
Blood sugar control
Thyroid function
Anemia status
Sleep and recovery
Then the DUTCH test can over complicate that low hanging fruit that we need to address first.
I typically want to see foundational labs first:
CBC w/ Diff
CMP
Full Thyroid panel
Fasting glucose and insulin, sometimes A1C
Ferritin
Vitamin D
Lipid panel
Because hormones are influenced by these systems.
How I Use DUTCH Results in Practice
The DUTCH test doesn’t tell us what to treat directly, it helps guide where to look.
For example:
Estrogen metabolism patterns → I consider liver function, gut health, and nutrient status
Cortisol rhythm issues → I look at stress load, recovery, lifestyle and daily habits
Low progesterone metabolites → I assess ovulation, energy availability, and overall stress or toxic load
It shifts the focus from:
“What’s wrong with your hormones?”
to:
“What’s influencing your hormones?”
My Clinical Perspective
After taking this test for myself several times over the years and interpreting the results for many patients and friends, here’s the bottom line you should know.
The DUTCH test is a tool for context, not a shortcut to a quick fix- ouch, that hits home because my first DUTCH Complete I saw my results and thought that that meant half the battle was won…it wasn’t.
It can be incredibly helpful when used at the right time, for the right person who needs the right context to make precise lifestyle modifications.
But it does not replace:
Adequate nutrition
Stress management
Quality sleep
Recovery from training
Consistent healthy lifestyle habits
Those are still the foundation of hormone health.
Final Thoughts
If you’re dealing with hormone related symptoms and feel like your labs don’t match how you feel or what you are experiencing, the DUTCH test could give you more context to made the proper adjustments.
But the goal shouldn’t just be to gather more data (my unfortunate M.O. 5 years ago).
The goal is to understand your body well enough to make meaningful, sustainable changes that can actually move the needle in your health and keep you in that place of balance and resilience through the many hormonal changes you are going to face while living and breathing on this earth.