There are many websites online offering “hormonal imbalance quizzes” that allow a user to share symptoms they're experiencing and receive a diagnosis. Many of these sites and apps also sell services and products to resolve the supposed hormonal imbalance.
But are online quizzes for hormonal imbalance legitimate, or is this a scam? Can you really diagnose medical conditions based on symptoms alone? Which hormones should be tested if an imbalance is suspected? And are health influencers getting rich off the pain of people suffering from hormone problems?
In this article we'll answer all of these questions and more, as we share our concerns about online hormonal imbalance quizzes and the potential for misleading health information.
We'll feature a video suggesting that some health influencers are getting rich by selling solutions to hormone problems that may not even exist.
Finally, we'll document some hormone tests that patients can order at a doctor's office, which can help to determine the root cause of potential hormone issues.
Are Hormone Quizzes a Scam?
It's a well-established principle in medicine that symptoms alone are insufficient to diagnose a health condition.
If a patient visits their doctor’s office claiming to feel ill, the doctor usually won’t prescribe antiviral medication based on the patient's symptoms. Instead, they’ll run tests to determine if there’s an actual illness to treat with medication.
Unfortunately, many hormonal quizzes online do diagnose medical conditions based on symptoms alone, which we consider to be dangerous.
Hormone-altering medications and supplements can have serious side effects, and we strongly recommend that individuals consult a doctor and receive legitimate medical testing if they believe they're experiencing hormonal imbalances.
As an example to illustrate why symptoms alone cannot diagnose hormonal conditions, consider a patient experiencing symptoms like hot flashes, anxiety and insomnia. This could be caused by a hormonal issue like a thyroid disorder, but it could also be caused by situational stress.
It's important to determine the root cause of the symptoms, and lab testing is the most logical way to do so in our opinion.
Health Influencers and Hormone Scams
A YouTube creator and board-certified OBGYN named "Mama Doctor Jones" shares her concerns about online hormonal tests, and discusses some specific tests to watch out for.
This video has over 300,000 views and may be useful for individuals considering hiring health coaches online to resolve their suspected hormone issues:
Which Lab Tests are Worthwhile?
To determine whether or not an individual actually has hormonal issues, laboratory testing may be necessary.
Some tests can be completed or ordered at a general practitioner's office, while the doctor may instead refer a patient to a hormone specialist like an endocrinologist for more advanced tests, or if they suspect a serious issue.
Here are some common tests that can help to identify potential hormone issues, that patients may wish to speak with their doctor about:
Testosterone
Men experiencing low energy, fatigue, lack of sex drive or physical weakness may benefit from testing blood levels of testosterone.
Testosterone tests are relatively commonplace, so they're frequently covered by health insurance, especially for men over the age of 40.
For patients with low testosterone that's unable to be improved with lifestyle modifications like diet and exercise, a doctor may prescribe testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) which can normalize levels.
Estrogen
Women experience varying levels of estrogen throughout their life, and the changes accelerate through menopause.
An estrogen test can determine the level of circulating estrogen in the blood.
According to the University of Rochester, symptoms of low estrogen (which is more common than high estrogen) are hot flashes, moodiness and thinning skin.
Thyroid
Thyroid panel tests typically include thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), T4 and T3 (specific thyroid hormones) levels.
Some patients have hyperthyroidism, which means their thyroid gland produces too much hormone. This can result in symptoms like anxiety, insomnia and erratic mood.
Other patients suffer from hypothyroidism which means their thyroid gland doesn’t produce enough hormone. Hypothyroid patients commonly present with weakness, fatigue and sensitivity to cold.
Like testosterone tests, thyroid tests are relatively common and are sometimes even included in annual blood panels.
Cortisol
Cortisol is a hormone involved in the stress response. Testing for cortisol levels can confirm chronic stress, because an elevated cortisol level suggests that the patient is regularly experiencing an activated stress response (the "fight-or-flight response").
Chronic stress patients may have anxiety, irritability, insomnia and muscle aches.
Cortisol testing is somewhat less common than testosterone, estrogen or thyroid testing, and it may require a specialist appointment.
One benefit of cortisol testing is it can confirm the existence of health issues caused by anxiety (or other factors).
If a patient has significantly elevated cortisol, they may want to incorporate lifestyle changes like meditation which is clinically shown to reduce stress levels. Doctors may also prescribe anti-anxiety medication.
There are a number of other hormonal tests that a doctor may order to diagnose hormonal imbalances; these are just four of the most common.
