Frequently Asked Questions
Find answers about ordering, saliva collection, your results and Persometrics hormone testing.
Ordering & delivery
Yes. You can purchase a test kit on behalf of someone else. The person who buys the kit does not have to be the person who completes the test.
The report is sent using the contact information provided by the person taking the test during activation and completion of the relevant questionnaire. The anonymous access code supplied with the kit should be kept confidential, since it can be used to identify the test within our system.
We aim to dispatch test kits within three working days. Delivery time then depends on the postal service and destination.
Once you receive the kit, the overall turnaround also depends on when you choose to collect and return your samples. After the laboratory receives your samples, analysis and report preparation normally require several working days.
As a general guide, allow approximately two to three weeks from ordering to receiving your results, although the process may be quicker.
Sampling instructions are provided online. Once you activate your test kit, you will receive a link to the appropriate instructions.
If you have already activated your kit, check the confirmation email you received after activation.
You can also visit ourtest-kit instructions page.
Sampling
Your unique anonymous access code is supplied inside your test kit. It is printed on a small label and consists of a short string of capital letters.
You will need this code to activate your kit and access the relevant questionnaires and instructions. Keep it somewhere safe and do not share it with other people.
See an example on ourtest-kit instructions page.
You are considered awake when you are fully conscious and know where you are, even if you still feel tired.
If you wake during the night and intend to go back to sleep, do not begin sampling. Start only when you are awake for the final time and intend to begin your day.
A poor night's sleep does not necessarily mean that you need to postpone your test. However, accurate timing around awakening is particularly important when the Cortisol Awakening Response is being assessed.
If your waking period was very disrupted and you cannot identify a clear point at which you changed from asleep to awake, it is better to perform the test on another day.
Timing is important when measuring changes in cortisol across the day, particularly for the samples collected immediately after waking.
A delay of a few minutes may be acceptable, but if you miss the required timing substantially, it is usually better to postpone sampling and start again on another day.
If you have already collected some samples and then miss a later sample, please contact Persometrics before continuing. Depending on the test, replacement collection tubes may be required.
Salivary hormones are relatively stable after collection, but we recommend storing your samples in the refrigerator until they are ready to be posted.
For the quickest turnaround, send your samples on the day of collection or the following day and avoid posting immediately before weekends or public holidays.
Always follow the instructions supplied for your particular test.
Yes. Certain medications can influence hormone concentrations. Corticosteroids such as prednisone and dexamethasone are particularly relevant when cortisol is being measured.
If you are taking medication and are unsure whether it could influence your test, contact Persometrics before ordering or collecting your samples.
Do not stop or change prescribed medication for the purpose of performing a Persometrics test unless advised to do so by your healthcare professional.
Cortisol measurements are generally timed in relation to awakening rather than simply according to the clock.
If your sleep schedule differs considerably from a conventional day/night pattern—for example because of night-shift work or substantial jet lag—please follow the timings in your specific sampling instructions carefully.
If you are unsure whether your schedule is suitable for a particular test, contact Persometrics before sampling.
Results & reports
Yes. For hormone testing, your measured laboratory values are provided together with the relevant reference information.
Depending on the test you choose, Persometrics may also provide graphical representations, calculated parameters and a personalised report that places your results in a broader educational context.
If you need another copy of your report, contact Persometrics and provide your unique anonymous access code.
Keep this code safe. Because of the way Persometrics separates identifying information from sensitive test data, the anonymous code is required to locate the relevant report after your personal information has been separated from the test data.
This is part of our privacy-by-design approach. We deliberately avoid maintaining a permanent link between your purchasing account and your sensitive laboratory data.
Once your results have been delivered and the relevant data have been anonymised, your anonymous access code is used if you later need us to locate your report.
You can read more on ourprivacy and data security page.
Your samples are analysed by Swiss medical laboratories operating under their own quality, regulatory and compliance procedures.
After the requested analyses have been completed, the remaining saliva material is destroyed in accordance with the laboratory's procedures and applicable Swiss requirements.
The laboratory receives the information necessary to perform the requested analysis but does not need your identity in order to analyse the sample.
Science & interpretation
Blood testing remains the standard approach for many endocrine assessments. Saliva, however, can be useful for measuring the free fraction of certain hormones, including cortisol.
Saliva collection is non-invasive and can be performed repeatedly at home. This makes it particularly useful when several samples need to be taken at specific times in order to observe changes in hormone concentrations across the day.
Salivary and blood measurements are not interchangeable for every hormone or every clinical question. The appropriate method depends on what is being investigated.
Cortisol is an important hormone involved in the body's response to physical and psychological stress. Its concentration changes naturally throughout the day.
Repeated saliva samples can provide information about individual cortisol secretion patterns, including changes around awakening and across the day.
These measurements can provide useful information for personal education and research-based interpretation, but a cortisol result on its own cannot diagnose burnout or determine the cause of symptoms.
Stress has both physiological and psychological dimensions. Hormone measurements provide information about biological patterns, while questionnaires provide information about your perceptions, experiences and behaviour.
Where applicable, Persometrics brings these different sources of information together to provide a broader educational picture than either source could provide alone.
No. There is currently no single hormone measurement or biomarker that can diagnose burnout.
Research has investigated associations between stress-related conditions and patterns of cortisol secretion, but these findings are not sufficiently specific to use cortisol as a standalone diagnostic test for burnout.
Persometrics may combine hormone measurements with psychometric questionnaires to provide educational insight into stress-related patterns. This does not constitute a medical diagnosis.
If you are concerned that you may be experiencing burnout or another health condition, discuss your symptoms with an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Cortisol and testosterone are frequently studied in sports science because their concentrations can change in response to exercise, training load and recovery.
Repeated measurements can help illustrate an individual's hormone patterns over time. However, hormone measurements should be interpreted alongside training load, recovery, sleep, performance and other relevant information.
They should not be used alone to determine an ideal training intensity or the best time of day to exercise.