Test Details
Lab Company: ZRT
Sample Type: Blood Spot, Saliva
Collection Location: At Home
The Elite Athlete Metrics Profile identifies hormone imbalances and vitamin deficiencies that can affect performance or prevent an athlete from competing at their highest level.
Key Details
Men, children, and non-menstruating women can collect any day of the month.
Menstruating women should collect on specific days of their cycles.
If you are using hormones, collect according to the schedule below.
If you are taking steroids, talk to your healthcare provider about appropriate timing.
Avoid anti-aging/anti-wrinkle facial creams for 3 days prior to testing.
Fast overnight prior to collection.
Ship your samples as soon as possible.
Preparation & Timing
Men, children, and non-menstruating women can collect any day of the month.
Menstruating women should collect according to the following schedule:
Regular cycles: Collect on Day 19, 20, or 21 of your cycle.
Day 1 is the first day of your period.
Irregular cycles: Collect 5 days before your period begins.
Unpredictable cycles: Collect any day when you're not bleeding.
If you use topical or oral hormones,
Apply/take any night dosage at least 12 hours prior to your morning collection.
Avoid applying hormones with your bare hands for at least 2 days prior to collection.
Avoid using hormones on your face, lips, and neck.
Change your sheets, pillowcases, and hand towels the night before collection.
Avoid touching any surfaces which may be contaminated with hormones prior to collection.
If you use hormone patches, vaginal rings, pellets, or injectables,
Test halfway between doses.
Example: 3 days after a once-a-week patch
If you use sublingual hormones or troches,
Talk to your healthcare provider. It is not recommended that you take this test.
If you are taking steroids (glucocorticoids, prednisone, etc.), talk to your healthcare provider about appropriate timing.
Avoid the following medications for 3 days prior to collection:
7-Keto DHEA
Anti-aging/anti-wrinkle face creams
Fast overnight for at least 10-12 hours prior to collection.
You can drink water during the fast.
For at least 2 hours prior to each saliva collection, do not
Eat
Drink anything but water
Brush your teeth
Collection Instructions
Saliva Collection
Collect your first saliva sample within 30 minutes of waking for the day.
Use the large tube.
Wash your hands with soap and water.
Use a clean towel to dry your hands.
Rinse your mouth with water.
Wait 5 minutes before beginning your collection.
Allow saliva to pool in your mouth and then transfer it to the tube.
Fill the tube at least half full, not including bubbles.
If you have difficulty producing saliva, try
Smelling food
Yawning
Pressing the tip of your tongue against your teeth
Write your name, the date of collection, and the time of collection on the tube.
Place the tube back in the bag.
Repeat steps 2-10 using the smaller tubes for the other three collections.
Collection 2: before lunch
Collection 3: before dinner
Collection 4: before bed
If you are not shipping your samples within 24 hours of collection, place them in the freezer until you ship.
Note: If you make a mistake collecting your saliva, rinse your tubes out with hot water (no soap), shake out any remaining water, and air dry. Restart your collection at the appropriate time.
Blood Spot Collection
Collect your blood sample within 1 hour of waking.
Wash your hands with soap and water.
Use a clean towel to dry your hands.
Write your name, the date of collection, and the time of collection on the card.
Open the cover of the collection card.
Fold it back and away from the filter paper.
Do NOT touch the filter paper.
Tape the card to a flat surface below waist level.
Swing your arms and rub your hands together to get your blood flowing.
Open the alcohol prep pad and sterile gauze.
Select the finger you will use.
The middle or ring finger on your non-dominant hand is recommended.
Wipe your finger with the alcohol prep pad.
Let your finger air dry for 15-30 seconds.
Twist the cap off the lancet.
Press the small white section against the side of your chosen finger until you hear a click.
Wipe away the first drop of blood with the gauze.
Position your finger above a circle on the collection card.
Gently massage your finger to form a large, hanging blood drop.
Touch the blood drop to the center of the circle.
Do NOT touch the card with your finger.
Fill all circles on the card.
Place only one drop per circle.
Apply the bandage to your finger.
Leave the blood spot card open to air dry for at least 4 hours.
Keep the card in a cool, dry location away from direct sunlight.
When the sample is dry, close the flap.
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 samples as soon as possible after collection.
To prepare your sample for shipping,
Place the COMPLETELY DRY blood spot card into the test kit box.
Place the bag containing the saliva tubes into the test kit box.
Place the completed test requisition form into the test kit box.
Ensure the test kit box is securely closed.
Place the test kit box into the provided return mailer.
Affix the provided label to the mailer.
Make a note of your tracking number so that 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.
More Resources
[PDF] How to Collect Your Sample
Questions?
For general questions, email Rupa Health at [email protected]. For test-specific questions, contact ZRT by calling 503-466-2445.