Under active Thyroid Tests.

[vanessa2]

What are the advantages of having a saliva test over a blood test. What should they be testing for. I only get a blood test done at my surgery. But not sure that this tests for everything it should.

[Clutter]

Vanessa2, the saliva test measures cortisol not thyroid. It is not available on NHS which does serum cortisol test. The serum thyroid tests are TSH, FT4 and FT3 but labs often decline to test FT3 unless TSH is <0.03.

[shaws Administrator]

This is a good explanation.

naturalendocrinesolutions.c...

[vanessa2]

Thanks Shaws & Clutter

[penny]

I was diagnosed by a private doctor who organised a 24-hr urine test. The GPs only every did tsh and I was undiagnosed for over 20 years - having all the symptoms of hypothyroidism I was dismissed and offered antidepressants. At the time I had no idea about hypothyroidism and so believed the doctors - luckily I didn't fall for the antidepressants, not least because I wasn't depressed.

I think that danger of having blood tests done by the GP is that you may believe their results and so miss diagnosis.