Menstrual Cycle Mapping

Optimize Your Hormonal Health

Track your hormones across your entire cycle to understand your body, improve fertility, and uncover the root causes of hormone-related symptoms.

Advanced hormone tracking throughout your entire menstrual cycle to diagnose irregular periods, identify fertility issues, understand ovulation problems, and uncover the root cause of hormone-related symptoms.

By ZRT Laboratory | CLIA Certified | 7-Day Turnaround | Urine Collection Over 11-15 Days

What Is Menstrual Cycle Mapping?

Menstrual Cycle Mapping is an advanced diagnostic test that tracks your sex hormones and luteinizing hormone (LH) throughout your entire menstrual cycle. Unlike standard hormone tests that only measure hormones at one point in time, this test maps your hormone patterns day by day, revealing exactly how your hormones rise and fall throughout your cycle.

This comprehensive approach shows your healthcare provider the complete picture of your hormonal health—including whether you’re ovulating, if your progesterone is rising appropriately after ovulation, and if your estrogen and LH patterns are normal. This detailed information is essential for diagnosing the root cause of irregular cycles, fertility issues, and hormone-related symptoms.

Perfect for women experiencing:

Irregular menstrual cycles or unpredictable periods
Difficulty getting pregnant or unexplained infertility
Absent periods (amenorrhea) or very light periods
Anovulation (not ovulating) or irregular ovulation
Short luteal phase (less than 10 days between ovulation and period)
Low progesterone symptoms (anxiety, insomnia, spotting before period)
Severe PMS or PMDD symptoms
Recurrent early miscarriages
Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) symptoms
Unexplained hormone-related symptoms despite “normal” lab results
Coming off birth control and experiencing cycle irregularities
Perimenopause with erratic cycles

Why This Test Matters

Your hormones don’t stay the same throughout your menstrual cycle—they’re supposed to rise and fall in specific patterns. Estrogen should rise in the first half of your cycle, LH should surge right before ovulation, and progesterone should rise significantly in the second half of your cycle. When these patterns are disrupted, you experience irregular cycles, fertility problems, and hormonal symptoms.

Standard hormone testing only captures a single snapshot in time, which can miss critical issues. If you test on the wrong day of your cycle, your results may look “normal” even when something is wrong. Menstrual Cycle Mapping solves this problem by tracking your hormones throughout your entire cycle, revealing patterns that single-point testing misses.

This test is especially valuable if:

You’re trying to conceive and want to confirm you’re ovulating
You’ve been told your hormones are “normal” but you still have symptoms
You have irregular cycles and don’t know when to test hormones
You suspect you’re not ovulating or have a short luteal phase
You’ve had recurrent miscarriages and want to assess progesterone
You have PCOS and want to track ovulation patterns
You’re in perimenopause and your cycles are becoming irregular
You want detailed data to guide fertility treatment or hormone therapy

Biomarkers Tested (5 Total)

This comprehensive panel measures hormone metabolites in urine throughout your cycle:

Estrone-3-Glucuronide (E1G) – Estrogen metabolite that reflects estrogen levels

- Tracks estrogen rise in the follicular phase (first half of cycle)
- Should gradually increase leading up to ovulation
- Too low: poor follicle development, irregular ovulation
- Pattern reveals estrogen dominance or deficiency

Pregnanediol-3-Glucuronide (PdG) – Progesterone metabolite that reflects progesterone production

- Tracks progesterone rise after ovulation (luteal phase)
- Should rise significantly after ovulation and stay elevated
- Too low: luteal phase defect, difficulty conceiving, miscarriage risk
- Pattern confirms ovulation occurred and progesterone is adequate

Luteinizing Hormone (LH) – Triggers ovulation

- Should surge 24-36 hours before ovulation
- LH surge confirms ovulation is about to occur
- Absent or weak surge: anovulation (not ovulating)
- Multiple surges: PCOS or irregular ovulation patterns

PdG/E1G Ratio – Progesterone-to-estrogen ratio

- Reveals whether progesterone is sufficient to balance estrogen
- Low ratio: estrogen dominance, inadequate progesterone
- Optimal ratio: balanced hormones, healthy luteal phase

Creatinine – Quality control marker

- Ensures urine samples are concentrated enough for accurate results
- Validates the accuracy of hormone measurements

Why mapping matters: A single hormone test can’t tell you if you ovulated, if your progesterone rose appropriately, or if your cycle is normal. Menstrual Cycle Mapping reveals the complete hormone story—showing you exactly when (or if) you ovulate, how high your progesterone rises, and whether your cycle patterns are healthy.

How It Works

Order Your Test – Purchase online through ForwardFlow Health with easy checkout
Receive Your Kit – Your at-home urine collection kit arrives in 2-3 business days via UPS/USPS
Track Your Cycle – Begin collection on the first day of your period (Day 1) or as instructed
Collect Daily Samples – Collect first-morning urine samples daily for 11-15 days (depending on your cycle length), following detailed instructions
Mail It Back – Use the prepaid return envelope to send all samples to ZRT Laboratory at once
Get Your Results – Receive comprehensive cycle mapping results with hormone graphs in 7 days through your secure patient portal
Expert Interpretation – Schedule a follow-up consultation with your ForwardFlow Health provider for personalized result interpretation and treatment recommendations

What’s Included

Complete at-home urine collection kit with collection tubes for 11-15 days
Detailed collection instructions with cycle timing guidelines
Prepaid return shipping envelope
CLIA-certified laboratory analysis by ZRT Laboratory
Comprehensive results report with hormone graphs showing your cycle patterns
Access to your results through secure patient portal

Test Preparation & Collection

Preparation Timeline: No advance preparation required
Collection Days: 11-15 days (varies based on cycle length)
Best Time to Start: Day 1 of your menstrual cycle (first day of bleeding)

Important Collection Guidelines:

Start on Day 1: Begin collecting on the first day of your period (Day 1 = first day of full menstrual flow)
Collect first-morning urine: Use the first urine of the day for most accurate results
Collect daily: You’ll collect a small sample every day for 11-15 consecutive days
For regular cycles (28-30 days): Collect for 11 days
For longer cycles (31+ days): Collect for 15 days to ensure ovulation is captured
Store samples: Keep collection tubes at room temperature until mailing
Mail all at once: After completing all collections, mail all tubes together in the prepaid envelope
Detailed preparation instructions will be included with your kit

Collection Instructions: View Full Collection Instructions

Sample Report: View Sample Report

Who Is This Test For?

The Elite Thyroid Profile is ideal for:

Women with unexplained symptoms who suspect thyroid dysfunction but have been told their labs are “normal”
Perimenopausal and menopausal women experiencing fatigue, weight gain, or mood changes
Women on thyroid medication who want to monitor treatment effectiveness and optimize dosing
Anyone with a family history of thyroid disease or autoimmune conditions
Women struggling with weight loss resistance despite diet and exercise
Those with symptoms of hypothyroidism or hyperthyroidism seeking answers
Proactive health optimizers who want baseline thyroid data

Who Is This Test For?

Menstrual Cycle Mapping is ideal for:

Women trying to conceive who want to confirm ovulation and optimize timing
Women with unexplained infertility who need detailed cycle data
Women with irregular or absent periods who want to understand why
Women with suspected anovulation (not ovulating or ovulating irregularly)
Women with short luteal phase (less than 10 days between ovulation and period)
Women with low progesterone symptoms (anxiety, insomnia, spotting, miscarriage)
Women with PCOS who want to track ovulation patterns
Women with recurrent miscarriages who need progesterone assessment
Women coming off birth control experiencing cycle irregularities
Perimenopausal women with erratic cycles who want to understand what’s happening
Women working with fertility specialists who need comprehensive cycle data

Why Choose ForwardFlow Health for Menstrual Cycle Mapping?

Most Comprehensive Cycle Testing: Daily tracking throughout your entire cycle, not just one snapshot
Reveals Ovulation: Confirms whether and when you ovulate with LH surge detection
Identifies Luteal Phase Issues: Shows if progesterone rises adequately after ovulation
Convenient At-Home Collection: No lab visits, no blood draws, simple urine collection
Fast Results: 7-day turnaround after lab receives samples
CLIA-Certified Lab: Trusted, accurate results from ZRT Laboratory
Visual Hormone Graphs: Easy-to-understand charts showing your hormone patterns throughout your cycle
Fertility-Focused Care: Seamless connection to treatment options for fertility, hormone balance, and cycle regulation
HSA/FSA Eligible: Documentation provided for reimbursement

What Happens After Your Test?

Once you receive your results, you’ll have detailed insights into your cycle and hormone patterns:

Schedule a Results Consultation ($45) – A ForwardFlow Health provider will review your cycle mapping, explain your hormone patterns, identify any issues, and create a personalized treatment plan
Understand Your Results – Your report will show:

- Whether you ovulated during this cycle
- When ovulation occurred (if it did)
- Whether your LH surge was normal
- Whether your progesterone rose adequately after ovulation
- Your luteal phase length
- Your estrogen patterns throughout your cycle
- Any abnormal patterns that may be causing symptoms

Explore Treatment Options – Based on your results, we offer evidence-based solutions including:

- Bioidentical Progesterone Therapy – if progesterone is low or luteal phase is short
- Ovulation Support – nutritional and lifestyle interventions to support regular ovulation
- Cycle Regulation – hormone therapy or supplements to normalize irregular cycles
- Fertility Optimization – timing guidance and interventions to improve conception chances
- MediBlue Nutrition Program – hormone-balancing nutrition to support healthy cycles
- Referral to Fertility Specialist – if advanced fertility treatment is needed

Optimize Timing – Use your cycle mapping data to time intercourse or fertility treatments for maximum success
Monitor Progress – Repeat testing in future cycles to track improvements after treatment

Menstrual Cycle Mapping vs. Standard Hormone Testing

Why choose Menstrual Cycle Mapping over a single-point hormone test?

Feature	Standard Hormone Test	Menstrual Cycle Mapping
Collection	One-time blood or saliva sample	Daily urine samples for 11-15 days
Timing	Must test on specific cycle day	Tracks entire cycle from Day 1
Ovulation Confirmation	Cannot confirm ovulation	Confirms ovulation with LH surge
Progesterone Pattern	Single measurement only	Shows entire luteal phase pattern
Luteal Phase Length	Cannot determine	Calculates exact luteal phase length
Best For	General hormone assessment	Fertility issues, irregular cycles, anovulation

Choose Menstrual Cycle Mapping if: You’re trying to conceive, have irregular cycles, suspect you’re not ovulating, or need detailed cycle data to guide treatment.

Choose standard hormone testing if: You have regular cycles and want a general hormone assessment without fertility concerns.

Shipping & Turnaround

Kit Shipping: 2-3 business days (UPS/USPS)
Collection Period: 11-15 days (daily collection)
Lab Turnaround: 7 days from when lab receives your samples
Total Timeline: Approximately 3-4 weeks from order to results (includes one full cycle of collection)

Privacy & Certification

CLIA-certified laboratory
HIPAA-compliant secure results portal
Confidential testing and reporting
No insurance billing—complete privacy
ZRT Laboratory: Gold standard in hormone testing with 25+ years of experience

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this test covered by insurance?
This is a cash-pay test and is not billed to insurance. However, you can submit for HSA/FSA reimbursement, and we provide documentation to support your claim.

Why do I need to collect urine for 11-15 days?
Your hormones change dramatically throughout your menstrual cycle. To see the complete picture—including whether you ovulate, when ovulation occurs, and whether progesterone rises appropriately—we need to track your hormones throughout the entire cycle. This reveals patterns that a single test cannot show.

What if I have irregular cycles and don’t know when my period will start?
Start collecting on the first day of your next period (Day 1 = first day of full menstrual flow). If your cycles are very irregular or absent, contact us for guidance on when to start collection.

What if I don’t get my period during the collection window?
If you have amenorrhea (absent periods), we can provide modified instructions. The test can still reveal whether you’re ovulating and what your hormone patterns look like even without a period.

Can I do this test if I’m on birth control?
Hormonal birth control suppresses your natural cycle, so this test is not informative while on birth control. If you want to assess your natural cycle, you would need to be off hormonal birth control for at least 2-3 months before testing.

How is this different from using ovulation predictor strips?
Ovulation predictor strips only detect the LH surge. Menstrual Cycle Mapping tracks LH, estrogen, and progesterone throughout your entire cycle, confirming not only that you ovulated but also that your progesterone rose adequately afterward. This is critical for fertility and diagnosing luteal phase defects.

What if the test shows I’m not ovulating?
If your results show anovulation (no ovulation), you can schedule a consultation with your ForwardFlow Health provider to discuss treatment options, including nutritional interventions, lifestyle modifications, supplements, or medications to support ovulation. We may also recommend additional testing or referral to a fertility specialist.

Can this test diagnose PCOS?
This test can reveal hormone patterns consistent with PCOS (such as irregular or absent LH surges, anovulation, or abnormal estrogen patterns). However, PCOS diagnosis also requires clinical symptoms and/or ultrasound findings. This test provides valuable data to support diagnosis and treatment.

Will this test tell me the best days to try to conceive?
Yes! Your results will show when you ovulated during the test cycle. This information helps you understand your fertile window and optimize timing for future cycles. During your consultation, we’ll provide specific guidance on timing intercourse based on your cycle patterns.

Do I need a doctor’s order for this test?
ForwardFlow Health provides the clinical oversight for this test. Your order is reviewed and authorized by our licensed provider.

What states can order this test?
This test is available in states where we are operational including CO, DC, IA, KS, MD, NV, WY, MT, ME, SD, NE, OR, and WA

Get the Answers You’ve Been Searching For

If you’re struggling with irregular cycles, fertility challenges, or unexplained hormone symptoms, you deserve more than a one-time hormone test that might miss the problem. Menstrual Cycle Mapping reveals the complete story of your cycle—showing you exactly what’s happening with your hormones day by day.

Understand your cycle. Confirm ovulation. Optimize fertility. Get answers.

Questions? Email us at contact@forwardflowco.in