A testosterone levels test measures the amount of testosterone in a sample of your blood.

There are different forms of testosterone in your blood that may be measured to help diagnose certain health problems.

Most of your testosterone is attached to proteins. The proteins prevent your tissues from using the testosterone right away, which helps control the amount of "active" testosterone in your body.

Testosterone that's not attached to proteins is called free testosterone. Free testosterone acts on your tissues.

Three types of blood tests measure these different forms of testosterone:

1) A total testosterone test measures free testosterone and testosterone that's attached to proteins. This is the most common type of test.

2) A free testosterone test measures only the "active" form of testosterone. This test is less common, but it may be useful for diagnosing certain medical conditions.

3) A bioavailable testosterone test measures free testosterone and testosterone that's loosely attached to a blood protein called albumin. This test isn't commonly done. But like a free testosterone test, it may help diagnose certain medical conditions.

For males who have gone through puberty, the test is mostly used for symptoms of low T levels (testosterone levels which are too low).

Testosterone levels tend to decrease with age. But other health issues may also cause low T, such as thyroid problems, long-lasting illness, or problems with the testicles.

A blood sample for a testosterone test should be taken in the morning between 7 and 10. During these hours, your testosterone levels are typically the highest.

A health care professional will take a blood sample from a vein in your arm, using a small needle. After the needle is inserted, a small amount of blood will be collected into a test tube or vial. You may feel a little sting when the needle goes in or out. This usually takes less than five minutes.

Will I need to do anything to prepare for the test?

In certain cases, you may need to fast (not eat or drink) for several hours before the test. Ask your provider how you should prepare for a testosterone levels test.

In males, low T levels may be caused by different conditions, including:

- Chronic (long-lasting) diseases such as liver, or kidney disease

- A pituitary gland disorder

- Benign tumors (not cancer)

- Injury to the testicles

- Alcohol use disorder

- Certain genetic diseases such as Klinefelter syndrome

In females low T levels are normal, but extremely low levels may be a sign of:

- An adrenal gland disorder

- A pituitary gland disorder

- An ovarian disorder

In males, high T levels may be caused by:

- A tumor in the testicles

- Steroid use

- An adrenal gland disorder, such as congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH)

In females, high T levels may be caused by:

- Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)

- Ovarian cancer

- An adrenal gland disorder, such as congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH)

- A disorder of the pituitary gland

If your results are not normal, it doesn't always mean you have a medical condition that needs treatment. It's normal for testosterone levels to decrease with age. And certain medicines can affect your results. If you have questions about your results, talk to your health care provider.

At-home test kits for checking your testosterone levels are available without a prescription. The kits provide everything you need to collect a blood or saliva (spit) sample to send to a lab for testing.

Talk with your provider if you think you need to be tested. If you do a home test, share the results with your provider.

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Cseriess (imported) wrote: Mon Jan 09, 2023 7:24 am Testosterone can be checked with a saliva sample. You can do this at home, first thing in the morning as soon as you wake up, spit in test tube and send it off to the lab. Otherwise a more precise reading can be done with the regular blood draw. Not usually done, because it's expensive and not routinely covered by insurance in the USA, but maybe covered if ordered by your Dr for a specific reason.

Thankfully, due to my Autism, I get Medicaid. So, they cover just about everything. I say "just about" because they didn't cover a wrist brace after I had carpal tunnel surgery. That was literally the only thing they never covered.

Anyway, I have cholesterol blood work done every 6 months. While I'm not a fan of needles, I can deal with it. I didn't know about the saliva sample though, that's new information to me.

I'm usually a pretty easy stick, but for reasons I'm not sure about, sometimes I get a day when they have problems... What I've learned is that I will give a particular phlebotomist two tries at most, after the second fail, I ask for a different person (usually I don't have to ask, the hospital I get my care at seems to have a policy that they call for the 'expert' after the second try...) If the expert fails I ask them to get the ultrasound machine which is the current best tech available to deal w/ tough sticks'... So far every time they have had to use the machine they have gotten me without any problems...

My GF is a notoriously tough stick to the point where they even have it as a note in her health record to call in the expert team right from the beginning...

One of the downsides of getting care at a teaching hospital is that you often end up w/ students doing things like blood draws, and I try to let them have at least one shot as they have to learn somewhere, but I only put up w/ so much, and seems like at least as I try to be nice about it, they are OK w/ calling in the experts when it's a problem...

WheelyCurious

It's all based on bloodwork. It's good to have the level checked occasionally. My own prescription - compound application - is not very precisely tied to test levels. Just a small change in compound composition seems to result in huge swings in test levels. I've been as low as female athletes and as high as way over the top for avg males. with just small changes in composition. Injections are likely more precise.