Diagnostic usefulness of salivary reproductive hormones: An update

Abstract

Of late research on the diagnostic use of saliva to measure various biochemical analytes, notably hormones are on the increase. The collection of saliva is a non invasive procedure and least uncomfortable to the patients. Special precautions are not required and large volume of specimens could be easily collected. Many studies have been carried out in this field as early as late 1960s. This review article brings out recent findings in the use of saliva to measure both male and female reproductive hormones,since the first line of laboratory tests to evaluate infertile couple start with reproductive hormones measurement. The important reproductive hormones measured in serum are total testosterone, free testosterone , Sex Hormone Binding Globulins (SHBG) for men and progesterone, oestrogen,oestrone, cortisol, 17-OHProgesterone for women. Many studies have established significant correlations between salivary and serum reproductive hormones and this article highlights the clinical usefulness of such hormones measuredin saliva.