The DUTCH Cycle Mapping™ test maps the patterns of progesterone and estrogen throughout the menstrual cycle and analyzes the cortisol awakening response. This test also includes the insomnia cortisol sample.
By requesting this test, the physician will get a complete picture of a woman’s cycle, which may be relevant for patients with month-long symptoms, infertility, and Polycystic ovary syndrome.
Nine targeted estrogen and progesterone measurements are taken throughout the cycle to characterize the follicular, ovulatory, and luteal phases.
It is expected to find a pattern of hormones with relatively low estrogen levels early in the cycle, an increase around ovulation, and modest levels in the luteal phase.
Progesterone levels stay relatively low until after ovulation, but after ovulation levels ideally increase (10-fold) and then drop back down at the end of the cycle.
Critically, a disruption in this cycle can lead to infertility or hormonal imbalance.
The test is not recommended in postmenopausal women, women on birth control, or women with cycles that follow the expected pattern.
The DUTCH Cycle Mapping tests estrogen and progesterone metabolites (9x) by Gas Chromatography and Mass-Spectrometry in tandem (MS/MS). This is the most accurate method for testing urinary reproductive hormones and their metabolites.
The DUTCH Cycle Mapping requires 25-morning urine samples over 25 days, considering day 1 of the cycle is the first day with menstrual flow. Each sample should be left open to dry for at least 24 hours. Once all 25 samples are collected, they should be sent to the lab for analysis.
*This test cannot be ordered for patients under 12 years of age.
The DUTCH Cycle Mapping™ test maps the patterns of progesterone and estrogen throughout the menstrual cycle. These patterns help characterize and analyze each phase of the menstrual cycle. This test cannot be ordered for patients under 12 years of age.
