Insist on the 2/16 Estrogen Metabolism Test
August 28, 2009 by Jenn
Filed under Breast Cancer, Hormone Testing
The 2/16 estrogen metabolism test could save your life. 
Yes, it’s a fact.
The 2/16 estrogen metabolism test is a simple urine test that scientists feel predicts your chances of developing breast cancer. If you know you have risk factors for breast cancer, there are steps you can take now that can reduce those odds.
Estrogen and Breast Cancer
Even if there is no history of breast cancer anywhere in your family, you could still be at risk. Did you know that only 20%-30% of the people who get breast cancer each year have any family history of the disease? Every year 150,000 women in the United States are diagnosed with breast cancer. That means around 110,000 of them had no history to serve as a warning that they were a likely breast cancer victim.
Now research has discovered a strong connection between breast cancer and estrogen. Based on this knowledge, the 2/16 estrogen metabolism test should be considered a vital step in preventing breast cancer.
For more information about the research findings, see The Link Between Estrogen Dominance and Breast Cancer.
How the 2/16 Estrogen Metabolism Test Predicts Breast Cancer
Estrogen, like other hormones, needs to be expelled from the body after it has done its assigned task. The liver is the main organ that breaks the hormone down into bits called metabolites. These metabolites are excreted from the body through bile and urine.
Estrogen is broken down into two main metabolites called 2-hydroxyestrone and 16-hydroxyestrone. Like the two forms of cholesterol, one is considered ‘good’ and one is considered ‘bad’. In this case, the 2-hydroxyestrone is the good guy, or anti-carcinogenic. The metabolite 16-hydroxyestrone is pro-carcinogenic, or, in other words, is the one believed to stimulate cells to reproduce, including cancerous cells in the breast.
When a person’s urine is analyzed in the 2/16 estrogen metabolism test, laboratory technicians evaluate the balance of the two types of estrogen metabolites and figure the ratio. A ratio of 2.0 or higher seems to indicate a lower risk of getting breast cancer. A lower ratio indicates your chances for developing the disease is higher.
Must You See a Physician to Do a 2/16 Estrogen Metabolism Ratio Test?
Although you do collect an early morning urine sample at home, at this time you do need a prescription from a physician to have the test conducted. When you visit your doctor, tell him that you want a 2/16 estrogen metabolism ratio test. In fact, insist upon it. The more you know about your own body, the better equipped you are to take care of it.
The 2/16 estrogen metabolism test is not meant to replace the mammogram, but is meant to work in conjunction with it and to give people an earlier warning if they are at a high risk of developing breast cancer.
The best part is that when you have that knowledge, you can take steps to lower your your bad estrogen, thereby decreasing your chances of developing the condition. Oftentimes, forewarned is forearmed, as the old saying goes. Insist that your doctor order a 2/16 estrogen metabolism ratio test as soon as possible and find out if you have a high risk of developing breast cancer and what you can do to help prevent this from occurring.
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Thank you for these informative articles.
Please do go ahead and fill in your About page with information about the writer and/or health practice that is providing this info–vital if I’m going to feel like the writer speaks from a position of real knowledge of the subject and is not simply trying to sell me more supplements (as unfortunately is the case with many websites on menopause issues).
Thanks again for your contribution to the web info on these issues.
MJR