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Raleigh-Durham · Guide · Hormones and energy

Hormone testing in Raleigh-Durham

Feeling tired, foggy or not quite yourself has many possible causes, and hormones are only some of them. Here's which tests are worth doing first, what each one can show, and which Raleigh-Durham clinics offer them.

Main tests
A thyroid test and a blood count Other hormones when your symptoms point to them
What you do
A blood draw, often early in the morning Some on a set day of your cycle
You get
Results read against your symptoms Treatment only if something is clearly off
Raleigh photograph by Elijah Mears · Unsplash

The tests, in plain English

Start with your regular doctor and a thyroid test, because an underactive thyroid is one treatable cause of tiredness. A blood count can check for anemia, a shortage of healthy red blood cells. Testosterone, menopause hormones and cortisol, made by your adrenal glands, are worth testing when your symptoms point to them, not as a routine screen.

Think of hormones as messages your body sends through the mail. A blood test is a snapshot of what's in the mailbox at one moment, and some of these messages arrive in waves through the day or the month. That's why when you test can matter as much as what you test.

A blood tube in front of a day-to-night arc with a sun and a moon
Some hormones rise and fall through the day, so the time of your blood draw can change the result.

Thyroid (TSH)

Usually the first thyroid test.

Free T4 and thyroid antibodies

Free T4 measures the thyroid hormone itself.

Testosterone

Levels are highest in the morning, so the test is done early, after fasting, and repeated before anyone calls it low.

FSH and estradiol

FSH, follicle stimulating hormone, changes through the monthly cycle, and estradiol is the main estrogen before menopause. Both shift a lot during the menopause transition. After 45, menopause is usually recognized from your symptoms and periods, and a blood test often adds little.

Cortisol

Made by your adrenal glands, cortisol affects almost every organ in your body.

Blood count and iron

Not hormones, but often checked alongside them.

Saliva and urine hormone panels

Some clinics measure hormones in saliva or dried urine instead of blood. Menopause specialists have called saliva testing unreliable for guiding treatment. Before paying for either kind of panel, ask what a result would change.

Showing 8 clinics that address hormones & energy in Raleigh-Durham

How we order clinics
Jennifer Yap, DOAlvin Antony, MD

BioFunctional Med

Six Forks Rd, North Raleigh
Jennifer Yap, DO, Alvin Antony, MD
Advanced diagnostics & emerging careHormones & energy

BioFunctional Med is a self-pay functional integrative medicine practice on Six Forks Road in Raleigh, one of three offices with Wilson and Rocky Mount. Its physicians Jennifer Yap, DO and Alvin Antony, MD offer testosterone and bio-identical hormone pellet and injection therapy, peptide therapy and IV nutritional therapy, with labs drawn in the office. It also offers medical weight loss and sexual health treatments. Led by Jennifer Yap, DO, Alvin Antony, MD.

Tests & services

Peptide therapy IV vitamin therapy Testosterone therapy
See if it’s a fit
Ryan D. Schulteis, MDAllison Gibson, DNP, AGACNP-BC

Carolina Longevity

Governors Village, Chapel Hill
Ryan D. Schulteis, MD
Strength, fitness & body compositionHormones & energy

Carolina Longevity is a longevity and internal medicine clinic in Governors Village, Chapel Hill, founded by Ryan D. Schulteis, MD. Its Clinical Testing page offers a precision lab panel, a DXA body composition scan, a VO2 max metabolic test and a DUTCH hormone test, open to members and non-members. Memberships add ongoing physician care, coaching, strength training and recovery services. Led by Ryan D. Schulteis, MD.

Tests & services

DEXA scan Hormone panel VO₂ max testing
See if it’s a fit
Dr. Philip DeibelKendra Dove, PA-C

D5 Health

W Jones Street, Raleigh
Dr. Philip Deibel, MD
Strength, fitness & body compositionAdvanced diagnostics & emerging careHormones & energy

D5 Health is a membership practice on W Jones Street in Raleigh. Dr. Philip Deibel, an OB-GYN with lifestyle medicine certification, works with physician assistant Kendra Dove, PA-C, and registered nurse Ashleigh Deibel, BSN, RN. It offers bioidentical hormone replacement therapy, testosterone replacement therapy, peptide therapy, lab analysis, and VO₂ max and basal metabolic rate testing on a VO₂ Master analyzer. Led by Dr. Philip Deibel, MD.

Tests & services

Peptide therapy VO₂ max testing Menopause hormone therapy Metabolic rate testing +1 more
See if it’s a fit
Daniel Corbin, DNP, APRN, FNP-C, Staywell Health

Staywell Health

Falls of Neuse Rd, North Raleigh
Advanced diagnostics & emerging careMidlife & menopauseHormones & energy

Staywell Health is a direct primary care practice on Falls of Neuse Road in Raleigh, where Daniel Corbin, DNP, APRN, FNP-C, is the sole clinician. Its Hormone Optimization program offers bioidentical hormone therapy for men and women, guided by lab review and follow-up. Complete members also get peptide therapy, including sermorelin, and anti-aging and longevity care.

Tests & services

Peptide therapy Menopause hormone therapy
See if it’s a fit

Holly Springs Direct Primary Care

Raleigh Street, Holly Springs
Scott Bartkoski, MD
Midlife & menopauseHormones & energy

Holly Springs Direct Primary Care is a direct primary care practice on Raleigh Street in Holly Springs. Scott Bartkoski, MD, board certified in family, lifestyle and obesity medicine and a Menopause Society Certified Practitioner, works with nurse practitioners Stephanie Helfrich, FNP-C, and Sara Miller, DNP, FNP-C. Menopause hormone therapy is included in the monthly membership. Led by Scott Bartkoski, MD.

Tests & services

Menopause hormone therapy Testosterone therapy
See if it’s a fit

LongevityMed

Sandy Forks Road, North Raleigh
Men’s health & testosteroneMidlife & menopauseHormones & energy

LongevityMed is a wellness medicine practice on Sandy Forks Road in Raleigh, formerly Physician's Age Management Centers. It offers bioidentical hormone replacement therapy for men and women, including testosterone, estrogen and progesterone, given as pellets in the office or as injections, after lab work. It also runs a medically managed peptide program.

Tests & services

Menopause hormone therapy Testosterone therapy
See if it’s a fit

Sabia Health

Shannon Road, South Durham
Dr. Abigail DeVries, MD
Midlife & menopauseHormones & energy

Sabia Health is a direct primary care practice on Shannon Road in Durham for women in midlife. Dr. Abigail DeVries, MD, a board-certified family physician and Menopause Society Certified Practitioner, provides the care herself. Members get menopausal hormone therapy alongside primary care, and a perimenopause and menopause consultation with a hormone therapy plan is offered per visit. Led by Dr. Abigail DeVries, MD.

Describes its care in general terms rather than a published test menu.

See if it’s a fit

Vibrant Health Clinics

Creedmoor Rd, Raleigh
Hormones & energyNutrient status & deficiencies

Vibrant Health Clinics (VH) is a longevity and regenerative medicine clinic on Creedmoor Rd in Raleigh, one of several VH offices. Its Raleigh page lists personalized hormone replacement and peptides, IV therapy and cellular detox including chelation, regenerative medicine with stem cells and exosomes, and sexual health services.

Describes its care in general terms rather than a published test menu.

See if it’s a fit

How a hormone checkup usually goes

  1. Your symptoms first

    What you feel, when it started, your sleep, periods, mood and medicines. This decides which tests make sense.

  2. The right timing

    Many draws happen early in the morning, and some on a set day of your cycle. Ask when and why.

  3. Results in context

    A number is read against your symptoms, not just a range. A low result is usually repeated before anything changes.

  4. A plan and a date

    Treatment only if something is clearly off, and when to recheck. Ask if your regular doctor gets a copy.

If you have a racing heart, weight change you can't explain, or low mood that feels serious, see your doctor soon. That needs a diagnosis, not a hormone panel.

Go deeper

Explainer Longevity clinic vs. regular doctor

What your regular doctor does well, what a longevity clinic adds on top, and how to use the two together without giving up either.
Explainer Biomarker testing vs an annual physical

What your yearly checkup covers, what a longevity blood panel adds, and how to use both together.
Starting guide I feel healthy. Why test anything?

The case for looking early, the real downsides of testing while healthy, and how to work out which question you are actually asking.

Common questions

Which clinics in Raleigh-Durham address hormones & energy?

8 in our Raleigh-Durham guide: BioFunctional Med, Carolina Longevity, D5 Health, Staywell Health, Holly Springs Direct Primary Care, LongevityMed, Sabia Health and Vibrant Health Clinics.

My labs came back normal. Could it still be my hormones?

It's less likely for the hormones that were tested, but timing matters for some of them. Tiredness also has plenty of other causes, like poor sleep, low mood or anemia. Ask what was tested, when it was drawn, and what else could explain how you feel.

Should I get my hormones tested if I feel fine?

Usually not. A national screening panel found too little evidence to test thyroid function in adults without symptoms, and the main hormone specialists' society advises against screening men for low testosterone. Testing works best when it answers a question your symptoms raise.

What about hormone therapy?

It's a separate decision from testing. Hormone therapy is the most effective treatment for menopause hot flashes, and for women under 60 or within 10 years of menopause, with no reason to avoid it, the benefits usually outweigh the risks. Testosterone treatment is meant for men with symptoms and a confirmed low level.

I just want a thyroid or testosterone test. Where do I start?

Our hormone testing page lists the clinics near you that offer hormone blood tests. If a result comes back off, the usual next step is a repeat test, so ask who will review it with you.

What does this cost, and will insurance cover it?

Thyroid and other hormone tests are often covered when your doctor orders them for symptoms. Broad hormone panels sold as a package, and saliva or urine panels, are usually self-pay. Our guides on cost and insurance go deeper.

How do you decide which clinics appear on this page?

A clinic appears here when its own published material shows it offers this kind of testing at that location.

Sources (18)
  1. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, Thyroid tests
  2. MedlinePlus, TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) test
  3. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, Hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid)
  4. MedlinePlus, Thyroid antibody tests
  5. U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, Thyroid dysfunction: screening (2015)
  6. Endocrine Society, Testosterone therapy in men with hypogonadism: clinical practice guideline (2018)
  7. MedlinePlus, Testosterone levels test
  8. MedlinePlus, Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) levels test
  9. MedlinePlus, Estrogen levels test
  10. American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, Should I have hormone testing before starting hormone therapy?
  11. National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, Menopause: identification and management (NG23)
  12. MedlinePlus, Cortisol test
  13. MedlinePlus, Fatigue
  14. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, Anemia
  15. MedlinePlus, Complete blood count (CBC)
  16. MedlinePlus, Ferritin blood test
  17. The North American Menopause Society, 2012 hormone therapy position statement, Menopause
  18. The North American Menopause Society, 2022 hormone therapy position statement, Menopause

This page is educational information, not medical advice, and it is not a recommendation to have or to skip any test or treatment. What is worth testing depends on your age, your history and your symptoms, so discuss it with a clinician who knows them. If you have a racing heart, weight change you can't explain, a mood change that feels serious or another symptom that concerns you, seek a medical evaluation rather than a hormone panel.

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