1. What is a testosterone examination?
  2. What is testosterone?
  3. What is a normal testosterone level?
  4. Symptoms of depression testosterone
  5. Symptoms of overly loftier testosterone
  6. Testosterone replacement therapy
  7. Other treatments for low testosterone

If you lot have any medical questions or concerns, please talk to your healthcare provider. The articles on Wellness Guide are underpinned past peer-reviewed inquiry and information drawn from medical societies and governmental agencies. However, they are non a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

Fifty-fifty earlier the COVID-nineteen pandemic moved many provider visits to your living room couch, at-domicile health testing was a booming industry. Today, test kits permit you to check everything from your food sensitivities to fertility. Ane examination you lot can do at home is for your testosterone levels, which you may be interested in if those TV commercials have you worried nearly "low T." Read on to learn more virtually these testing kits, signs of low testosterone levels, and what you can practise about information technology.

Roman Testosterone Back up supplements

Your first month's supply is $15 ($20 off)

Acquire more

Testosterone tests check your testosterone levels. At that place are a few different options bachelor.

Several testosterone test kits are available for purchase online and in stores. With domicile testing kits, you collect a sample and post it back to a lab (via a prepaid aircraft label). After you lot mail service the kit back, your results are commonly provided past email or online within a few business days.

There are three master types of at-dwelling house tests for testosterone:

  • Saliva – This is ane of the virtually common at-home test approaches. You lot collect your saliva in a tube and mail service it dorsum to the lab. Unfortunately, the use of saliva testing for testosterone is controversial. Some studies take institute that salivary and blood testosterone levels are closely correlated, while others found they didn't match up at all (Arregger, 2007; Adebero, 2020; Fiers, 2014). One review noted that sample collection methods and storage of salivary tests can have a pregnant impact on accuracy, and any small amounts of blood in your saliva can also impact the results (Groschl, 2008).
  • Dried blood spot (DBS) – With DBS testing, you prick your finger with the supplied tool and utilize the blood to testing newspaper. Afterwards you mail service it in, the dried blood on the paper is evaluated past the lab. A small report has shown DBS testing to be as accurate as traditional blood testing for hormones similar testosterone (Salamin, 2021).
  • Microtainer – With this approach, y'all prick your finger with the supplied tool and add together a few drops of claret to a small tube. Just similar the venous tubes in phlebotomy labs, these tubes are designed for transporting a claret sample to a lab for testing. This approach is intended to replicate traditional in-lab or in-clinic testing every bit closely as can be done with a finger prick at dwelling house, although available peer-reviewed research regarding the accurateness of such tests is limited.

Testosterone: what is it, what does it practice, levels, treatment

You lot tin also become your testosterone level checked at a healthcare provider's function or certified lab with a blood exam. The provider draws a blood sample and follows upwards with y'all most the test results. Healthcare providers by and large require ii tests taken on two carve up days (before noon, considering testosterone levels fall throughout the solar day) before they'll make a diagnosis of low T.

At your visit, your healthcare provider may recommend the following blood tests (UCF, north.d.):

  • Total testosterone level. Your total testosterone level includes testosterone that's bound to sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG)—known as bound testosterone and non available to the torso)–and free testosterone, the amount of testosterone circulating freely in the blood.
  • Luteinizing hormone (LH). This hormone controls how you lot brand testosterone, and abnormal levels may signal a trouble with the pituitary gland.
  • Blood prolactin level. A high prolactin level may indicate pituitary problems or tumors, which could be affecting your testosterone level.
  • Blood hemoglobin (Hb or Hgb). Testosterone levels impact your hemoglobin and may lead to anemia.

Testosterone levels vary throughout the twenty-four hours, so it's important to follow the instructions given by your healthcare professional or those provided in the test kit on when to exam.

Testosterone is an androgen, or male sex hormone, present from nascence in both men and women. Males typically accept 20–25 times the amount of testosterone as females. Testosterone is produced by the testicles and adrenal glands (Fabbri, 2016).

In females, testosterone is made by the theca cells of the ovary, but most of it is converted to estrogen past an enzyme called aromatase.

Testosterone is important to overall wellness for both men and women at every age. Information technology regulates many key bodily functions like libido, sexual response, bone density, muscle evolution, and mood (Fabbri, 2016).

Testosterone blood test: interpreting results

According to the standard gear up by the American Urological Clan (AUA), a total testosterone hormone level below 300 ng/dL indicates depression testosterone in men, also known equally hypogonadism (Mulhall, 2018).

Total testosterone is the number most often used to diagnose depression testosterone. But a complimentary testosterone level below 50–65 pg/mL may bespeak that testosterone replacement therapy is indicated. However, levels of free testosterone are non always accurate and are often evaluated in the setting of low full testosterone (Trost, 2016).

In women, low testosterone is known as androgen deficiency. Unfortunately, testosterone deficiency and replacement therapy haven't been thoroughly studied in women, and the threshold for depression testosterone hasn't been conclusively defined as information technology has for men. Your healthcare provider can check your testosterone level with claret testing. Some women with depression testosterone levels have establish testosterone therapy to be effective in restoring sexual desire (Davis, 2016).

For women non in menopause, the normal range for total testosterone is around 15 to 46 ng/dL. For free testosterone, upwards to 6.0–vi.5 ng/d is considered normal, but there are no universally accepted ranges (Kanakis, 2019).

Conversely, women can suffer from hyperandrogenism, where testosterone or other androgen levels are too high. This has several potential causes, including  (Rasquin, 2021):

  • Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)
  • Late-onset congenital adrenal hyperplasia
  • Ovarian or adrenal tumors
  • Cushing syndrome
  • Certain medications
  • Idiopathic hyperandrogenism (no known cause)

Free testosterone and why it matters for your health

In men, the symptoms of low testosterone can include (Sizar, 2021):

  • Erectile dysfunction (ED)
  • Low sex bulldoze (libido)
  • Decreased musculus mass
  • Reduced semen book
  • Sleep problems, like sleep apnea
  • Low
  • Pilus loss

Low T is more mutual as men get older. Testosterone levels outset to fall virtually 1% to ii% a twelvemonth, starting around age 40 (Miah, 2019).

For women, the symptoms of low testosterone can include (Wierman, 2014):

  • Decreased sexual desire
  • Decreased sexual sensitivity
  • Decreased arousal and ability to orgasm
  • Fatigue

Because low testosterone in women hasn't been well studied, it'south unclear how many women have the condition (Davis, 2016).

10 signs and symptoms of depression testosterone

Having too much testosterone is not a good thing, either. In men, the virtually mutual cause is abusing anabolic steroids or taking besides much testosterone prescribed past a healthcare provider. Symptoms of having too much testosterone include (Ganesan, 2021):

  • Acne on the face up or body acne
  • Enlarged prostate
  • Gynecomastia (male breast tissue development)
  • Worsening of slumber apnea
  • Fluid retention
  • Testicular shrinkage
  • Low sperm count
  • Increment in red blood cells (erythrocytosis)

In women, loftier testosterone levels are well-nigh normally caused by polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), which occurs in upwards to 12% of women and is the nigh common female hormone disorder. Signs of hyperandrogenism in females include (Rasquin, 2021):

  • Irregular periods
  • Pilus loss on the scalp
  • Backlog facial and torso hair (hirsuitism)
  • Acne
  • Deepening of the voice, growth of the larynx (or Adam'southward apple), and clitoral enlargement—these symptoms may also indicate a tumor and should be investigated ASAP.

Your healthcare provider may recommend testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) if your testosterone levels are low. Options for testosterone replacement therapy include topical patches and gels, injections, oral patches, pellets, and nasal gels.

These common treatments are applied to the skin: the testosterone patch (brand proper noun AndroDerm), testosterone gels (brand names AndroGel, Testim, and Fortesta), and testosterone solutions (brand name Axiron).

Testosterone replacement therapy (TRT)

Several injectable versions of testosterone are available; they're administered by a healthcare provider. Depending on the formulation, an injection lasts from a week to a few months earlier a new shot is necessary.

Buccal testosterone therapy (brand proper name Striant) is an oral patch designed to stick to the gums above your incisors. It is usually applied twice a solar day.

Testosterone pellets (brand proper noun Testopel) are implanted under the skin near the hips. They slowly release testosterone for iii to 6 months.

Nasal testosterone gel (brand name Natesto) is applied to the inside of the nose iii times a day in each nostril.

Almost healthcare providers volition suggest trying topical gels for TRT first because they provide stable testosterone levels and are relatively easy to use. In a study of patient satisfaction with TRT, there wasn't a pregnant difference among gels, injections, or pellets (Kovac, 2014).

TRT isn't for everyone—it can crusade side effects, like infertility, and may interact with some medications. If you take certain medical conditions, y'all may non be a practiced candidate for these treatments. TRT may likewise increase your risk of developing certain health weather; inquire your healthcare provider if testosterone therapy makes sense for you.

If TRT is not the best option for you, you may want to consider other treatments for low testosterone, like clomiphene citrate or hCG.

Clomiphene citrate (brand name Clomid) is a handling for low testosterone that can preserve your ability to have children. It is a selective estrogen receptor modulator (SERM) drug that works by tricking the torso into making more testosterone. Clomiphene citrate tells the pituitary gland to release luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), 2 hormones that affect testosterone and sperm production in testicles (Krzastek, 2019).

Sex drive and testosterone: the relationship explained

Human being chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) may also help restore your T levels. Y'all'll notice high levels of hCG during pregnancy (it's what makes a pregnancy test positive), and taking information technology may increase testosterone in people with low T and operation testicles (Salonia, 2019).

It may exist possible to support your testosterone levels naturally by making lifestyle changes similar improving your diet, getting regular do, sleeping well, and not drinking booze to excess.

  1. Adebero, T., McKinlay, B. J., Theocharidis, A., Root, Z., Josse, A. R., Klentrou, P., & Falk, B. (2020). Salivary and serum concentrations of cortisol and testosterone at rest and in response to intense exercise in boys versus men. Pediatric Practice Science, 32(2), 65–72. doi: 10.1123/pes.2019-0091. Retrieved from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31770720/
  2. Arregger, A. 50., Contreras, L. N., Tumilasci, O. R., Aquilano, D. R., & Cardoso, E. M. (2007). Salivary testosterone: a reliable approach to the diagnosis of male hypogonadism. Clinical Endocrinology, 67(v), 656–662. doi: ten.1111/j.1365-2265.2007.02937.10. Retrieved from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17953627
  3. Bassil, Due north., Alkaade, Due south., & Morley, J. Due east. (2009). The benefits and risks of testosterone replacement therapy: a review. Therapeutics and Clinical Hazard Management, v(three), 427–448. doi: x.2147/tcrm.s3025. Retrieved from https://world wide web.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2701485/
  4. Braunstein, G. D., Reitz, R. E., Buch, A., Schnell, D., & Caulfield, Grand. P. (2011). Testosterone reference ranges in normally cycling healthy premenopausal women. The Journal of Sexual Medicine, 8(10), 2924–2934. doi: 10.1111/j.1743-6109.2011.02380.x. Retrieved from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21771278/
  5. Davis, S. R., & Wahlin-Jacobsen, S. (2015). Testosterone in women–the clinical significance. The Lancet: Diabetes & Endocrinology, three(12), 980–992. doi: x.1016/S2213-8587(15)00284-3. Retrieved from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26358173/
  6. Davis, S. R., Worsley, R., Miller, K. K., Parish, S. J., & Santoro, Due north. (2016). Androgens and female sexual office and dysfunction–findings from the fourth International Consultation of Sexual Medicine. The Journal of Sexual Medicine, xiii(ii), 168–178. doi: ten.1016/j.jsxm.2015.12.033. Retrieved from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26953831/
  7. Demers, Fifty. One thousand. (2010). Androgen deficiency in women; role of accurate testosterone measurements. Maturitas, 67(ane), 39–45. doi: 10.1016/j.maturitas.2010.04.019. Retrieved from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20493647/
  8. Fiers, T., Delanghe, J., T'Sjoen, G., Van Caenegem, Eastward., Wierckx, Chiliad., & Kaufman, J. Thou. (2014). A critical evaluation of salivary testosterone as a method for the assessment of serum testosterone. Steroids, 86, 5–9. doi: 10.1016/j.steroids.2014.04.013. Retrieved from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24793565/
  9. Ganesan, K., Rahman, Due south., & Zito, P. Yard. (2021). Anabolic steroids. [Updated 2021, Jun 4]. In: StatPearls [Net]. Retrieved on Jan. 25, 2022 from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK482418/
  10. Groschl, 1000. (2008). Electric current Status of Salivary Hormone Assay. Clinical Chemistry, 54, (11), 1759–1769. doi.org/10.1373/clinchem.2008.108910. Retrieved from https://academic.oup.com/clinchem/commodity/54/xi/1759/5628672%C2%A0.
  11. Kanakis, G. A., Tsametis, C. P., & Goulis, D. G. (2019). Measuring testosterone in women and men. Maturitas, 125, 41–44. doi:10.1016/j.maturitas.2019.04.203. Retrieved from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31133215/.
  12. Kovac, J. R., Rajanahally, S., Smith, R. P., Coward, R. M., Lamb, D. J., & Lipshultz, L. I. (2014). Patient satisfaction with testosterone replacement therapies: the reasons behind the choices. The Journal of Sexual Medicine, 11(2), 553–562. doi: 10.1111/jsm.12369. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24344902
  13. Mazer N. A. (2002). Testosterone deficiency in women: etiologies, diagnosis, and emerging treatments. International Journal of Fertility and Women's Medicine, 47(2), 77–86. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/11379745_Testosterone_deficiency_in_women_Etiologies_diagnosis_and_emerging_treatments
  14. Miah, S., Tharakan, T., Gallagher, Yard. A., Shah, T. T., Winkler, M., Jayasena, C. Northward., et al. (2019). The effects of testosterone replacement therapy on the prostate: a clinical perspective. F1000Research, 8, F1000 Faculty Rev-217. doi:10.12688/f1000research.16497.1. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6392157/
  15. Mulhall, J.P., Trost, L.W., Brannigan, R.Due east., et al. (2018) Evaluation and management of testosterone deficiency: AUA guideline. Journal of Urology, 200: 423. Retrieved from https://www.auanet.org/guidelines/testosterone-deficiency-guideline
  16. Mulligan, T., Frick, M. F., Zuraw, Q. C., Stemhagen, A., & McWhirter, C. (2006). Prevalence of hypogonadism in males anile at least 45 years: the HIM study. International Journal of Clinical Practise, 60(7), 762–769. doi:10.1111/j.1742-1241.2006.00992.ten. Retrieved from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16846397/
  17. Rasquin Leon, L. I., Anastasopoulou, C., & Mayrin, J. Five. (2021). Polycystic ovarian disease. [Updated 2021 Jul 21]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Retrieved on Jan. 25, 2022 from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK459251/
  18. Rivas, A. M., Mulkey, Z., Lado-Abeal, J., & Yarbrough, S. (2014). Diagnosing and managing depression serum testosterone. Proceedings (Baylor University. Medical Centre), 27(iv), 321–324. doi: 10.1080/08998280.2014.11929145. Retrieved from https://world wide web.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/manufactures/PMC4255853
  19. Salamin, O., Nicoli, R., Xu, C., Boccard, J., Rudaz, S., Pitteloud, N., Saugy, Thou., & Kuuranne, T. (2021). Steroid profiling by UHPLC-MS/MS in stale blood spots nerveless from salubrious women with and without testosterone gel assistants. Journal of pharmaceutical and biomedical assay, 204, 114280. doi.org/10.1016/j.jpba.2021.114280. Retrieved from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34340018/
  20. Sizar, O. & Schwartz, J. (2021). Hypogonadism. [Updated 2021, Jun 29]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Retrieved on Jan. 25, 2022 from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK532933/
  21. Trost, 50. W., & Mulhall, J. P. (2016). Challenges in testosterone measurement, data interpretation, and methodological appraisal of interventional trials. The Journal of Sexual Medicine, 13(seven), 1029–1046. doi:10.1016/j.jsxm.2016.04.068. Retrieved from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27209182/.
  22. Urology Care Foundation. Low testosterone. (northward.d.). Retrieved January 25, 2022 from https://www.urologyhealth.org/urology-a-z/l/low-testosterone
  23. Wierman, Chiliad.E., Arlt, W., Basson, R., Davis, S.R., Miller, K.K., Murad, One thousand.H., et al. (2014). Androgen therapy in women: a reappraisal: an endocrine gild clinical practice guideline, The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, 99(10),  3489–3510. doi:x.1210/jc.2014-2260. Retrieved from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25279570/.