What hormones do men have? Complete guide to male hormones

Men’s hormones do a lot more than most people realise. They help shape everything from sex drive and erections to fertility, muscle mass, body fat, mood, energy, and how well you cope with stress. When they’re working in balance, you’re more likely to feel like yourself. When they’re not, the effects can show up in all sorts of ways — physically, mentally, and emotionally.

This guide explains the main hormones in males, the symptoms that suggest an imbalance, the most common causes, and which blood tests may help you find out what is going on. 

In this guide:

• What hormones do men have?
• How to check your hormone levels
• What are the main male hormones?
• Symptoms of hormone imbalance in men
• What causes male hormone imbalance?
• What are normal male hormone levels?
• When should men test their hormones?

What hormones do men have?
 

Men have far more hormones at work than just testosterone. In fact, humans produce more than 50 hormones in total, and men and women share many of the same ones — the real difference is in the levels, timing and balance. These hormones act as the body’s chemical messaging system, constantly sending signals between organs and the brain to regulate key functions such as libido, fertility, mood, energy, muscle mass, and stress.

The hormones most closely linked to male hormone health include testosterone, oestradiol, prolactin, LH, FSH, and cortisol, all of which are part of a wider endocrine network involving the testes, pituitary gland, hypothalamus and adrenal glands [1]. 

How to check your hormone levels
 

The only reliable way to check your hormone levels is with a blood test. Depending on the kind of insight you are looking for, that might mean seeing your doctor or using a simple home blood test.

If you are dealing with symptoms like low sex drive, fatigue, or fertility concerns, hormones may be part of the picture — but they are rarely judged on symptoms alone. Doctors usually look at how you are feeling alongside your blood test results to understand what might be going on.

Testosterone is usually checked with a morning blood test, because levels tend to be highest earlier in the day. If the result comes back low, it will often need to be repeated before any diagnosis is made or treatment is considered.

And because hormones work together rather than in isolation, it can sometimes be useful to look beyond testosterone alone. A broader hormone test can help show whether symptoms may be linked to testosterone itself, the signals controlling it, or a wider hormone imbalance [2].

What are the main male hormones?
 

Testosterone

Testosterone is the main sex hormone in males, but it does much more than people often realise. Produced primarily in the testes, it’s involved in male development and many of the systems that help men feel physically strong, mentally sharp and well in themselves.

What testosterone does in men:

• Supports sex drive
• Helps maintain erections and sexual function
• Contributes to sperm production
• Helps maintain muscle mass and strength
• Contributes to red blood cell production
• Supports bone health
• Affects body fat distribution
• Influences energy and mood

Symptoms that may suggest low testosterone:

• Low libido
• Erectile dysfunction
• Fatigue
• Low mood
• Reduced muscle mass
• Increased body fat
• Weaker bones
• Fewer spontaneous erections

A low testosterone diagnosis should not be based on symptoms alone. It’s usually confirmed by blood test results, ideally taken in the morning. If testosterone comes back low, the test is often repeated to check the result. In some cases, another marker — sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG), may also need to be considered to provide a clearer picture [3]

Raised testosterone levels can also have an impact on your health, most often seen with anabolic steroid use. Therefore, it’s important to be aware of the potential side effects of anabolic steroid use.

Find out more about the symptoms and treatment for low testosterone.

 

Oestradiol

Oestradiol is a form of oestrogen, and, although often seen as a female hormone, it plays an important role in male sexual and reproductive health. 

What oestradiol does in men:

• Helps regulate libido
• Supports erectile function
• Contributes to sperm production

Oestradiol imbalance may contribute to:

• Breast tissue enlargement
• Lower libido
• Fertility concerns
• Higher body fat
• Symptoms during or after testosterone treatment or anabolic steroid use

Research suggests oestradiol may play a bigger role in men’s health than previously thought. While testosterone often gets most of the attention, oestradiol can also affect sexual function, metabolism, and fertility. This means symptoms are not always explained by testosterone deficiency alone [4].

Prolactin

Prolactin is a hormone made by the pituitary gland. In men, prolactin helps form part of the wider hormone picture and can affect how other sex hormones work. If your levels become too high, it can start to interfere with hormone balance and sexual health. That is why prolactin is sometimes checked alongside testosterone and other male hormones, especially when symptoms suggest something is off.

Symptoms of raised prolactin in men:

• Reduced sex drive
• Erectile dysfunction
• Low energy
• Fertility problems
• Gynecomastia or breast tenderness

Common causes for raised prolactin:

• Stress
• Alcohol
• Some medications
• Intense exercise
• Eating before the test
• Pituitary tumours in some cases

Find out more about raised prolactin. 

FSH and LH

In men, Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and Luteinising hormone (LH) function as key control hormones for regulating the reproductive system. Specifically, they control the production of sperm and testosterone.

FSH from the pituitary gland helps the testes make sperm by providing necessary nutrients and molecules for production. Elevated levels of FSH in men often indicate testicular issues.

Low FSH levels may indicate a pituitary gland problem and can lead to issues with sperm production and fertility. Elevated testosterone levels in the blood can also affect FSH levels, such as through anabolic steroid use or testosterone replacement therapy (TRT).

LH from the pituitary gland stimulates the testes to produce testosterone. High levels of LH may point to decreased sex steroid production from the testes, which can affect fertility. 

Low levels of LH can be a sign of problems with the pituitary gland. If levels are not sufficient to support testicular function, this too may cause infertility.  

Raised testosterone (potentially from anabolic steroid use) can prevent the pituitary gland from creating LH. This may also cause a reduction in LH levels. 

Causes of raised LH:

• Injury to the testes
• Klinefelter’s syndrome (chromosomal abnormality)
• Mumps
• Previous chemo- or radiotherapy to the testes
• Stress (which can lower testosterone and cause a secondary rise in FSH)
• Tumour of the sperm cells (the cells that produce sperm)

Cortisol

Cortisol isn’t a sex hormone, but it still plays an important role in men’s health. Produced by the adrenal glands, it helps your body respond to stress and affects things like energy, metabolism, and recovery. When cortisol levels remain too high or too low for too long, they can have a knock-on effect on your libido, body composition, and overall wellbeing [5].

The link between cortisol and testosterone has been recognised for a long time. In general, higher stress levels and higher cortisol are often associated with lower testosterone. While this doesn’t give the full picture on its own, it can still help explain how stress may affect male hormone health [6].  

Why cortisol matters in men:

• Regulates the stress response
• Affects metabolism
• Influences immune activity
• May interact with testosterone and sexual health

Symptoms relating to cortisol imbalance include:

• Ongoing stress symptoms
• Fatigue
• Poor recovery from sports
• Unexplained weight changes

Persistently elevated cortisol levels, due to stress, adrenal gland tumours, or steroid use, can inhibit testosterone production and lead to Cushing’s syndrome.

Symptoms of Cushing’s syndrome include:

• Erectile dysfunction
• Loss of libido
• High blood pressure
• Thinning of the bones

Low cortisol levels can also impact the body, often due to conditions like Addison’s disease, where the adrenal glands fail to produce sufficient cortisol.

Symptoms of Addison’s disease include:

• Abdominal pain
• Physical weakness
• Weight loss

If you're worried about chronic stress, you can check your cortisol level with our Cortisol Saliva Stress Test. 

Symptoms of hormone imbalance in men
 

Hormone imbalances in men can show up in different ways, and many of the symptoms can overlap, making it difficult to figure out which hormones are involved.

Common symptoms include:

• Low libido
• Erectile dysfunction
• Fertility problems
• Fatigue
• Low mood
• Reduced muscle mass
• Increased body fat
• Breast tissue enlargement
• Poor recovery
• Lower motivation or vitality

Symptoms can be a useful starting point, but they are usually best followed up with blood testing to get a clearer picture of what may be going on. 

What causes male hormone imbalance?
 

Male hormone imbalance can happen for lots of different reasons. In some cases, it’s linked to a natural decline due to ageing, while in others it may be linked to lifestyle, underlying health conditions, or certain treatments.

Common causes include:

• Ageing
• Obesity and higher body fat
• Chronic illness
• Diabetes and metabolic syndrome
• Stress
• Pituitary disorders
• Testicular injury
• Chemotherapy or radiotherapy
• Anabolic steroid use
• Some medications
• Adrenal disorders

It’s also worth knowing that not all hormone imbalances have the same cause. Sometimes the issue starts with the hormone-producing glands themselves, while in other cases it’s more closely linked to factors like weight, insulin resistance, or broader health issues. That is one reason why looking at the full picture matters, rather than focusing on just one hormone result in isolation [2,3].

What are normal male hormone levels?
 

Hormone levels can vary from one lab to another, so there is not one single range that applies everywhere. However, these ranges provide a general idea of normal values:

Hormone	Low	Normal	High
Testosterone (nmol/L)	<12	12*-29	>29
Oestradiol (pmol/L)	<41.4	41.4–159	>159
Prolactin (mU/L)	<86	86–324	>324
FSH (IU/L)	<1.5	1.5–12.4	>12.4
LH (IU/L)	<1.7	1.7–8.6	>8.6
Cortisol (nmol/L)	<133	133–537	>537

*The low-normal threshold for men with diabetes is 8-14 nmol/L.

These numbers are useful as a guide, but they do not tell the full story on their own. Factors like your symptoms, the time your test was taken, any medications you take, and your overall health can all affect how your results are interpreted. This is especially true for testosterone, which is usually best checked in the morning and may need repeating if it comes back low.

 

When should men test their hormones?
 

It may be worth testing your hormones if something does not feel quite right and the problem isn’t going away. Hormone changes can affect different areas of health, so the signs are not always obvious at first.

A blood test to check your hormones can help if you are experiencing symptoms like reduced interest in sex, erectile dysfunction, or reduced muscle mass. Testing can also be beneficial if you’re trying or planning to have children.In some cases, symptoms that seem unrelated can still point to the same hormone issue.

If you have more than one symptom, a broader hormone panel is often a better place to start than checking just one marker on its own. This can give a clearer overall picture and help show whether testosterone, prolactin, oestradiol, or other hormones may be involved.

Our Male Hormone Blood Test gives you a comprehensive breakdown of the major male hormones and checks whether your levels are in the normal range for your age. Regular testing lets you monitor your hormone levels and understand how they change over time.

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References

1. Endocrine Society (n.d.) Reproductive hormones. (Accessed 23 April 2026)
2. European Association of Urology (2026) Sexual and Reproductive Health Guidelines: Male Hypogonadism. (Accessed 20 April 2026)
3. Khera, M. et al. (2025) Male hypogonadism: recommendations from the Fifth International Consultation for Sexual Medicine, Sexual Medicine Reviews. (Accessed 20 April 2026)
4. Swislocki, A.L.M. and Eisenberg, M.L. (2025) A review on testosterone: estradiol ratio—does it matter, how do you measure it, and can you optimize it?, The World Journal of Men’s Health, 43(3), pp. 453–464. doi: 10.5534/wjmh.240029.
5. Thau, L., Gandhi, J. and Sharma, S. (2023) Physiology, cortisol, in StatPearls. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing. Available at: NCBI Bookshelf.
6. Ilkevič, E., Hausmann, M. and Grikšienė, R. (2024) Emotion recognition and regulation in males: Role of sex and stress steroids, Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology, 74, article 101145. doi: 10.1016/j.yfrne.2024.101145.