Fertility Profile
Test Details
Lab Company: ZRT
Sample Type: Blood Spot, Saliva
Collection Location: At Home
The Fertility Profile measures a variety of hormones to help diagnose hormone-related causes of infertility.
🔑 Key Details | 📦 Shipping |
⏰ Preparation & Timing | 📊 Results |
🧪 Collection Instructions | 📚 More Resources |
💳 Requisition & Payment |
💬 Questions? |
Key Details
- You will collect blood spot and saliva samples.
- You can collect your samples while using fertility medications (such as clomid and letrozole). Note any fertility medications on your test requisition form.
- You can collect your saliva samples on any day of the month.
- Your blood spot samples must be collected on a specific day of your cycle.
- If you are not shipping your saliva samples within 24 hours of completing collection, place them in the freezer until you ship.
Preparation & Timing
- Avoid the following medications for 3 days prior to collecting your blood spot and saliva samples:
- 7-Keto DHEA
- Anti-aging/anti-wrinkle face creams
- For 2 hours prior to each saliva collection, do not
- Eat
- Drink anything but water
- Brush your teeth
- If you are using topical, oral, troche, or sublingual hormones,
- Take any night dosage at least 12 hours before you will collect your first morning sample.
- Avoid using hormones on the face, lips, and neck.
- For at least 2 days prior to collection, do NOT use your bare hands for topical hormone application.
- Change your sheets, pillowcases, and hand towels the night before collecting your samples.
- Avoid touching surfaces that may be contaminated with traces of hormones.
- If you are using hormone patches, vaginal rings, pellets, or injectables,
- Collect your samples halfway between doses.
- Example: 3 days after a once-a-week dose
- If you are doing daily morning injections, do injections AFTER collecting your sample.
- If you are doing injections every night, they can be taken as usual. Note them on the requisition form.
- If you are taking steroids, talk to your healthcare practitioner about appropriate collection timing.
- Collection timing depends on whether or not you are a non-menstruating woman or a menstruating woman.
Timing - Non-Menstruating Women
- You will collect 1 blood spot card and 4 saliva samples.
- You can collect your samples on any day of the month.
skip to collection instructions
Timing - Menstruating Women
- You will collect 2 blood spot cards and 4 saliva samples.
- Saliva samples: Collect on any day of the month.
- Blood spot card #1: Collect on Day 3 or 4 of your cycle.
- Day 1 of your cycle is the first day of your period.
- This is your follicular sample.
- Blood spot card #2: Collect during the luteal phase of your cycle.
- Regular cycle
- Collect 7 days after LH surge/ovulation.
- If you don't know your ovulation day, collect on Day 19, 20, or 21 of your cycle.
- Long cycle (over 28 days)
- Collect 7 days after LH surge/ovulation.
- If you don't know your ovulation day, collect on Day 21 of your cycle.
- Short cycle (less than 23 days)
- Collect 5 days after LH surge/ovulation.
- If you don't know your ovulation day, collect on Day 15 of your cycle.
- Unpredictable cycle
- Collect any day you are not bleeding
- Regular cycle
Collection Instructions
Follow the preparation information above to determine the proper timing for your samples.
Saliva Instructions
- Collect your first sample within 30 minutes of waking.
- Use the LARGE TUBE.
- Wash your hands with soap and water.
- Dry your hands with a clean towel.
- Rinse your mouth with water.
- Wait 5 minutes before beginning collection.
- Allow saliva to pool in your mouth, then transfer it to the tube.
- If you have trouble producing saliva, try
- Smelling food
- Thinking of your favorite food
- Yawning
- Pressing the tip of your tongue against your teeth
- If you have trouble producing saliva, try
- Fill the tube at least half full, not including bubbles.
- Collection usually takes 15-30 minutes.
- When done, cap the tube tightly.
- Write your name, the date of collection, and the time of collection on the tube.
- Place the tube back into the bag.
- Repeat steps 2-10 for each of the other collections.
- Use the small tubes for collections 2-4.
- Do not eat, drink anything but water, or brush your teeth for at least 2 hours prior to each collection.
- Collection 2: Before lunch
- Collection 3: Before dinner
- Collection 4: Before bed
- Freeze your samples if not shipping within 24 hours.
- If you make a mistake collecting your samples,
- Rinse the tube out with hot water (no soap).
- Shake out any remaining water.
- Air dry.
- Re-collect at the appropriate time the next day.
back to collection instructions
Blood Spot Instructions
- Collect your samples within 1 hour of waking.
- Wash your hands with soap and water.
- Dry your hands with a clean towel.
- Shake your arms and rub your hands together to get your blood flowing.
- Write your name, date, and time of collection on the collection card.
- Fold the collection card cover away from the filter paper (which has circles for blood collection).
- Do NOT touch the filter paper.
- Tape the card to a low surface (such as a table) with the filter paper facing out.
- Open the sterile gauze and alcohol pad.
- Use the alcohol pad to wipe the fingertip you will use for collection.
- It is best to use the ring or middle finger on your non-dominant hand.
- Wait 15-30 seconds for your finger to dry.
- Remove the lancet’s cap.
- Press the tip of the lancet against the inside tip of your finger.
- Press the tip firmly against your finger until it activates (it should click).
- Wipe away the first drop of blood with the sterile gauze.
- Position your finger above the collection card.
- Gently stroke your finger from the base to the tip to form a blood drop.
- Do NOT over-squeeze your finger.
- Touch the tip of the drop to the filter paper.
- Do NOT touch the paper with your finger.
- Place one drop per circle.
- Each drop should fill at least ¾ of the circle.
- Each drop should saturate the filter paper to the other side.
- Collect blood until all circles are filled.
- If blood stops flowing before you are finished, firmly wipe the finger with the gauze to get the blood flowing again.
- You can use the second lancet and another finger, if necessary.
- Bandage your finger.
- Leave the card open to dry for at least 30 minutes.
- Keep the card in a cool, dry location away from sunlight.
- Once the card is dry, fold the cover over the blood spots.
- Place the card into the test kit box.
Requisition & Payment
- Your kit has been prepaid. You DO NOT need to pay anything extra.
- Instructions on how to fill out your requisition can be found HERE.
- Since you pre-paid for your tests, you do not need to fill in the payment information on any of these forms.
Shipping
- Ship your samples back to the lab as soon as possible after collection.
- Freeze your saliva samples if not shipping within 24 hours of completing saliva collection.
- To prepare your sample for shipping,
- Place the blood spot collection card into the test kit box.
- Place the bag containing your saliva samples into the test kit box.
- Place the completed test requisition form into the test kit box.
- Securely close the test kit box.
- Place the test kit box into the provided return mailer.
- Affix the prepaid label to the mailer.
- Make a note of your tracking number so you can track your samples back to the lab.
Results
- Results should be released to your provider 3-5 business days after samples are received at the lab. We cannot guarantee processing time.
- Your provider will notify you when your results are in and schedule a follow-up appointment for you to review them together.
- Your provider may choose to release your results to you. Rupa cannot release your results without provider authorization.
More Resources
Questions?
For general questions, email Rupa Health at support@rupahealth.com. For test-specific questions, contact ZRT by calling 503-466-2445.