Hormone Testing in Greenville, SC
Hormone Testing at IHP Greenville. Dr. Hendry, DAOM — functional medicine, root-cause diagnostics, personalized care. Call (864) 365-6156.
"I drive past his office every day, I'm so glad a trusted friend referred me! Dr. Hendry and I are working on hormone overall balance and possible estrogen dominance. I get acupuncture and love the results."
— Katlyn Garcia · April 2022 · Google Review
A single morning serum cortisol tells you almost nothing about how the HPA axis is functioning. The 4-point salivary cortisol curve — morning, noon, afternoon, evening — maps the entire diurnal rhythm: the cortisol awakening response that should be highest at 8 AM, the decline through the day, and whether evening cortisol is too high, too low, or flat. That pattern determines the treatment. Similarly, a single estradiol value without the corresponding progesterone, SHBG, and DHEA tells you almost nothing about whether estrogen dominance is driving symptoms. I test the hormonal ecosystem — not individual hormones in isolation.
How Hormone Testing Works
Hormone testing at IHP is selected based on your presenting symptoms and may use blood, saliva, or urine depending on the hormones being measured and the specific information needed. Salivary cortisol curves (4 points through the day) provide information about HPA axis function that a single blood cortisol does not reveal. DUTCH (Dried Urine Test for Comprehensive Hormones) is used for detailed sex hormone metabolite assessment. Results are interpreted using functional reference ranges.
Conditions Treated with Hormone Testing
Functional Hormone Testing vs. Standard Thyroid Screening
A patient comes in with fatigue, hair loss, weight gain despite eating well, and feeling cold all the time. Her GP ran a TSH — it came back 2.8, within the "normal" range. She's told everything looks fine. At IHP, Dr. Hendry runs a full panel: TSH, free T3, free T4, reverse T3, TPO antibodies, cortisol curve, DHEA, progesterone, and estradiol. The free T3 is in the bottom quartile of the reference range. Reverse T3 is elevated. TPO antibodies indicate Hashimoto's is actively destroying thyroid tissue. DHEA is depleted from chronic stress. A single TSH test missed every one of these findings. The standard lab TSH range is designed to catch overt thyroid disease — not to optimize thyroid function or identify autoimmune thyroid disease before it progresses. Functional hormone testing identifies what's actually happening, giving Dr. Hendry the specific targets needed to treat the root cause rather than manage a number on a lab report.
Research & Evidence
Comprehensive thyroid evaluation beyond TSH is supported by research showing that free T3 and reverse T3 ratios predict clinical outcomes better than TSH alone. A 2016 study in Thyroid found that free T3 was the strongest predictor of well-being and metabolic rate in hypothyroid patients. Gärtner et al. (2002) in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism demonstrated that selenium supplementation significantly reduced thyroid antibody levels in Hashimoto's patients — a finding that requires antibody testing to identify the patients who would benefit.
Cost & Insurance Information
Specialty hormone testing — salivary cortisol curves, DUTCH dried-urine metabolites, and comprehensive sex-hormone panels — is generally a self-pay test not covered by standard insurance, and Dr. Hendry reviews the cost before ordering. Testing is billed separately from the consultation and any treatment. We do not bill insurance directly but can provide superbills (itemized receipts) for out-of-network reimbursement where your plan allows. Payment is due at time of service. Call (864) 365-6156 for current rates.
Treatment Timeline
Your First Appointment
Timing matters for sex hormone testing — female sex hormones should be tested at specific points in the menstrual cycle (day 3 for FSH/LH/estradiol; day 21—22 for progesterone). Dr. Hendry coordinates timing based on your cycle. Fasting is required for some tests.
Why Dr. Hendry for Hormone Testing
Dr. Hendry's functional medicine hormone assessment goes beyond standard panels, using functional reference ranges and comprehensive metabolite analysis to reveal the full hormonal picture.