The ZRT Laboratory Blog

It is estimated that approximately 10% of all women have polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) and that around 80% of them will struggle with infertility (2). While many women with PCOS will achieve pregnancy on their own, others will need medical assistance to become pregnant. In the last couple of years, the research world has dramatically expanded our comprehension of PCOS. It has long been known that PCOS involves elevated levels of female androgens particularly testosterone and DHEA. Newer research has provided deeper knowledge into the interplay between environmental, immunological, inflammatory, hormonal, and genetic factors. This rise of knowledge underscores the reality that PCOS is a more systemic imbalance far beyond the ovaries and presenting a more comprehensive challenge to those it affects.…

Tags: Fertility, PCOS, Menstrual Cycle Mapping

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One of the most commonly used herbs in the botanical toolbox is Vitex agnus-castus, also known as chaste tree berry. During the Middle Ages the dried berries were used in monasteries as a peppery condiment that was said to help suppress libido. Additionally, in the mid-1900s, Vitex was often given to women for “sexual irritability,” nervousness and melancholia. Perhaps for these reasons the herb…

Tags: Hormone Balance, PMS and PMDD, Menstrual Cycle Mapping, Menopause, Mental Health

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ZRT is a company made up mostly of women. It’s not that we don’t have men working here, but 80% of our employees happen to be women. A combination of a company mostly of women, working in the health field, and having gone to medical school which tends to take away that filter that says “perhaps certain topics are off limits,” can lead to hilarious conversations like our one today on the favorite…

Tags: Menstrual Cycle Mapping, Estrogen, Progesterone, Saliva Testing, Blood Spot Testing, Menstruation

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When I turned 12, all of a sudden all of my friends were getting their periods, and I just couldn’t wait to get mine! I was so ready to join the ranks of glamorous women who had the privilege of being initiated into the menstruating club. I wanted to belong with them - everything about periods was synonymous with femininity for me at the time. I had to endure witnessing so many of my classmates…

Tags: PMS and PMDD, Estrogen, Progesterone, Menstruation, Menstrual Cycle Mapping

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