Perhaps you have been told you ‘have MTHFR’, or you have read that methylation explains everything from fatigue to fertility. A result is only useful when someone takes the time to explain what it does and does not mean. Our practitioners offer three methylation tests when they are clinically appropriate, and we will always tell you plainly what a result can show.
Methylation is a chemical process your body runs constantly, using folate and other nutrients to keep DNA, neurotransmitters and homocysteine in balance. We can look at it from two angles: your genes, which show a tendency, and your blood, which shows how the pathway is working right now.
Sometimes one test is enough. Sometimes we pair a gene panel with the blood profile. And homocysteine, a routine blood marker your GP can order, is often the simplest way to track change over time.
MTHFR variants are very common. Carrying one, or even two, is not a disease, and it does not automatically mean you need high-dose supplements. A gene result describes a tendency. Whether it matters depends on your diet, your other results and your health history. None of these tests diagnoses a condition, and we make no promise about what a result will change.
Some situations belong with your doctor first. If you have a personal or family history of blood clots, or have experienced recurrent pregnancy loss, your GP or specialist leads that work-up and we work alongside them. If you are pregnant, folate advice in pregnancy stays with your GP, obstetrician or midwife.
Some medicines interact with the folate pathway. We never suggest stopping or changing a prescribed medicine. That is a conversation for you and your doctor, and we check for interactions before suggesting anything.
Most people never need a methylation test. We consider one when a result would genuinely change what we do, for example if you are:
If methylation is one part of a wider question about how your body uses nutrients, nutritional genetic testing covers the methylation genes as well as around 80 others.
The pathology company will advise you on collection for each test. The laboratory sets and bills its own fee, and we will tell you the current amount before you decide.
We are open 6 days per week, by appointment only. Book an appointment online via our online booking link.
A result guides case-by-case support of the pathway’s nutritional co-factors, food first. There is no blanket protocol for any variant. Any change we make is closely monitored, often by tracking homocysteine, so we can see whether it is helping.
With your permission we are happy to share results with your GP, so everyone looking after you is working from the same picture. To learn more about the pathway itself, read our methylation and MTHFR page.
Most people do not. We suggest one only when the result would change what we do, such as when planning a pregnancy, after a raised homocysteine result, or with a relevant family history.
An MTHFR test checks two common variants in one gene. A methylation gene panel checks 13 genes in the pathway, including MTHFR, which shows how the variants you carry may work together.
No. A gene test shows the tendencies you were born with and is done once. A methylation blood profile measures how the pathway is working right now, so it can change and can be repeated.
Not automatically. MTHFR variants are very common, and many people with one need nothing beyond a varied, folate-rich diet. Any support is decided case by case and monitored. Please do not start high-dose supplements on the strength of a gene result alone.
Testing arranged through Living Holistic Health is not Medicare rebated. The laboratory sets and bills its own fee, and we will tell you the current amount before you decide. Some tests ordered by your GP may be processed through Medicare, but that is a decision for your GP.
We don’t diagnose or treat medical conditions; that stays with your doctor. Our part is the nutritional, herbal and lifestyle work that sits alongside their care.
General information only, not individual medical advice. Always discuss supplements and herbal medicines with your treating practitioner.
We are open 6 days per week, by appointment only. Book an appointment online via our online booking link.
