The DUTCH™ test — short for Dried Urine Test for Comprehensive Hormones — is an at-home hormone test that measures your sex hormones, their metabolites, and your daily cortisol rhythm from a few dried-urine samples. Unlike a one-time blood draw, it captures a full day's pattern and shows how your body processes hormones, not just how much is present. This guide explains what it measures, how collection works, how it compares to blood and saliva, and what it costs in the US.
Key takeaways
- Dried urine, collected at home. Four to five small samples on filter paper across one day — no blood draw, no clinic visit.
- Hormones and metabolites. The DUTCH™ test shows the parent hormones plus the downstream metabolites that reveal how you process and clear them.
- A full cortisol rhythm. Free cortisol and cortisone are measured across the day, not at a single moment.
- Panels for different goals. From the DUTCH™ Adrenal to Cycle Mapping Plus, with the DUTCH™ Complete the most popular all-round choice.
- Priced in USD, shipped across the US. See the full DUTCH™ test cost breakdown.
What the DUTCH™ test is
The DUTCH™ test is a functional hormone test developed by the laboratory Precision Analytical. "DUTCH" stands for Dried Urine Test for Comprehensive Hormones. Instead of a blood draw, you collect small urine samples on filter paper at home and let them dry — a format that is stable at room temperature, easy to mail, and lets the lab measure both hormones and their metabolites by mass spectrometry.
The word that matters most is comprehensive. A standard lab test usually reports a single hormone level at a single moment. The DUTCH™ test instead captures a pattern: your cortisol rising and falling across the day, and the metabolite "fingerprint" that shows how your body activates, processes, and clears each hormone. That pattern is what makes the results useful for understanding symptoms rather than just confirming a number. If you want the operational details, our how it works page walks through the full process.
What the DUTCH™ test measures
Depending on the panel, the DUTCH™ test reports on four connected areas:
- Sex hormones & metabolites — estradiol, estrone and estriol; progesterone and its metabolites; testosterone and DHEA-S. Crucially, it also shows the estrogen metabolism pathways (2-OH, 4-OH, 16-OH) that a blood test can't.
- Cortisol & the HPA axis — free cortisol and cortisone measured four times across the day, plus metabolized cortisol. This is the basis for reading cortisol and adrenal health.
- Melatonin & organic acids — melatonin (6-OHMS) and selected OAT markers linked to sleep and mood, and to nutrient status.
- Androgen metabolism — how testosterone and DHEA are processed, relevant to skin, hair and PCOS patterns.
Want to see how this looks on paper before ordering? Review a sample DUTCH™ report to see the cortisol curve and metabolite charts in context.
Why metabolites matter
Two people can have the same estrogen level but process it very differently — one down a protective pathway, another down a pathway linked to more symptoms. Only a test that measures metabolites, like the DUTCH™ test, can show that difference. It's the difference between knowing how much and knowing what your body is doing with it.
How the DUTCH™ test works, step by step
- Complete your intake online. There's no doctor's referral needed. You fill out a medical intake form and an independently contracted, licensed practitioner reviews it and orders the correct panel. Start the intake form here.
- Your kit ships free. The collection kit — filter strips, drying materials, and step-by-step instructions — is mailed to your US address at no charge.
- Collect at home over one day. You saturate a filter strip with urine four to five times across the day (and, if you added the Cortisol Awakening Response, collect saliva in the first hour after waking). Samples dry in a few hours.
- Mail the samples to the lab. Dried samples are stable for weeks at room temperature, so you drop them in the mail — no cold pack, no rush.
- Get your report. Results are typically ready about 2–3 weeks after the lab receives your samples, delivered as a secure PDF. Add a practitioner review if you want your results walked through.
Ready to see your full hormone picture?
Choose a DUTCH™ panel and start your medical intake — a contracted practitioner reviews it and orders your test. Priced in USD, shipped free across the US.
Compare DUTCH™ Tests Start IntakeHow the DUTCH™ test compares to blood and saliva
Each method has a job it does well. The table below summarizes the practical differences; for a deeper look, read DUTCH™ test vs. blood test and DUTCH™ test vs. saliva testing.
| Feature | DUTCH™ (dried urine) | Blood (serum) | Saliva |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hormone metabolites | Yes — full pathways | No | No |
| Daily cortisol rhythm | Yes — 4+ points | Single point | Yes — 4 points |
| Collection | At home, no needle | Blood draw | At home, no needle |
| Estrogen metabolism (2/4/16-OH) | Yes | No | No |
| Best for | Full pattern & metabolism | Acute levels, medical diagnosis | Free cortisol rhythm |
Blood tests remain essential for diagnosing medical conditions and are what your physician will order when that's the question. The DUTCH™ test is a functional wellness tool that adds the pattern-and-metabolism view many people are missing.
Which DUTCH™ panel is right for you
- DUTCH™ Adrenal ($399) — cortisol rhythm, cortisol metabolites, cortisone and DHEA-S. Best for stress, fatigue and sleep concerns.
- DUTCH™ Complete ($499) — the most popular panel: sex hormones, metabolites, the cortisol curve, melatonin and OATs in one test.
- DUTCH™ Cycle Mapping ($549) — maps estrogen and progesterone across the whole menstrual cycle. See the Cycle Mapping guide.
- DUTCH™ Plus ($675) — the Complete panel plus the Cortisol Awakening Response for the fullest HPA-axis view.
- DUTCH™ Cycle Mapping Plus ($799) — cycle mapping plus cortisol and CAR together.
Not sure which to pick? Compare them side by side on the tests page, or see the full cost breakdown. Wondering whether it's worth it overall? Read our honest take on whether the DUTCH™ test is worth it.
Who the DUTCH™ test is for
The test is most useful when your symptoms suggest a hormone pattern rather than a single number — for example, cyclical mood changes, hormone imbalance symptoms, estrogen dominance, low progesterone, or stress and sleep problems tied to cortisol. It's used across life stages, including perimenopause and menopause, postpartum, and by men tracking testosterone and cortisol.
It is not a replacement for medical diagnosis. If you have red-flag symptoms, see a physician; use the DUTCH™ test to add a functional, pattern-based layer to your picture.
Frequently asked questions
Sex hormones (estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, DHEA-S) and their metabolites, the free cortisol and cortisone diurnal pattern, metabolized cortisol, melatonin (6-OHMS), and selected organic-acid markers. The DUTCH™ Complete reports roughly 35 markers.
You collect four to five small urine samples on filter paper at home across one day and let them dry, then mail them to the lab. The optional Cortisol Awakening Response adds saliva samples in the first hour after waking. No blood draw or clinic visit is needed.
They answer different questions. Blood gives a single-moment level and is what physicians use for diagnosis; the DUTCH™ test captures the daily cortisol rhythm and the metabolites that show how hormones are processed. See our full DUTCH™ vs. blood comparison.
From $399 (DUTCH™ Adrenal) to $799 (Cycle Mapping Plus) in USD, with free kit shipping. The most popular panel is the DUTCH™ Complete at $499. See the full cost page.
This article is educational and reflects functional-health perspectives. It is not medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. The DUTCH™ test is a wellness screening tool interpreted by a qualified practitioner. Always consult a healthcare provider about your individual situation.