Male Hormone Blood Test

Male hormones are chemicals that coordinate different functions in your body by carrying messages to your organs, skin, muscles, and other tissues. Although male hormones are mostly associated with fertility, they play a vital role in your overall health and wellbeing.

Testosterone is the primary male sex hormone. It’s responsible for male characteristics, and helps regulate sex drive, muscle and bone mass, fat distribution, and the production of red blood cells and sperm.

Other hormones that play an important role in male health include follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), which is crucial for healthy sperm production, and luteinising hormone (LH) which helps make testosterone.

Male hormones work together in a complex network. So, if one or more of your levels is outside the normal range, it can impact other hormones in your body. This can affect your physical and mental health.

That’s why our male hormone imbalance test measures testosterone alongside other key hormones that can influence its levels. These include LH, FSH, prolactin, and DHEA sulphate, which your body uses to make testosterone. It also measures oestradiol, which influences sexual function and is essential for sperm production.

Our male hormone check gives a thorough overview of your hormone health, which may help explain causes of symptoms like low sex drive, mood changes, or low energy. 

The symptoms of a male hormone imbalance include difficulty getting or keeping an erection (erectile dysfunction), loss of interest in sex (low libido), loss of muscle mass, an increase in abdominal fat, mood changes, lack of energy, and difficulty sleeping.

The good news is that there are many ways you can improve your overall health, which could help keep your hormones balanced. These include maintaining a healthy weight and eating a balanced diet.

Most of the testosterone circulating in your blood is bound to proteins (particularly SHBG and albumin). This is known as bound testosterone and isn’t available for your cells to use.

To give a more accurate picture of your testosterone status, our Male Hormone Blood Test calculates your level of free (or unbound) testosterone. This is based on your total testosterone level, and your levels of SHBG and albumin. Your free testosterone level tells you the amount of testosterone that’s available for your body to use.

Most testosterone tests set an upper detection limit of 52 nmol/L. If your result is higher than this, the lab will attempt a second measurement to get an actual reading, providing there’s enough sample volume available.

For this reason, we recommend taking a venous sample if you’re expecting an abnormally high result (for example, if you take high doses of testosterone).

Testosterone deficiency in males (hypogonadism) can significantly affect your health and wellbeing. Symptoms can include mood changes, reduced sex drive, and fatigue.

Testosterone levels in males naturally decline with age. This is sometimes called male menopause (or manopause), although it’s a far more gradual process than the decline in hormones in female menopause. Some men are born with testosterone deficiency, and a severe and sudden drop in testosterone levels can sometimes happen in men, but this is uncommon.

There are many reasons why you might experience a hormone imbalance. Age can play a part, as testosterone levels in men naturally decline after the age of 30. But lower-than-normal levels can occur at any age.

Lifestyle factors such as a poor diet, being overweight, too little or too much exercise, smoking, drinking too much alcohol, and chronic stress can cause a hormone imbalance.

Medical conditions can also play a part — these include hypogonadism (where the testicles don’t make enough testosterone), type 1 and type 2 diabetes, and tumours that affect areas responsible for hormone production like the pituitary gland. Other possible causes include overuse of steroids and injury or damage to the testes.

In some cases, healthy lifestyle changes may help improve a hormone imbalance. These include eating a balanced diet, maintaining a healthy weight, taking regular exercise, getting enough quality sleep, and managing stress.

Your doctor may recommend testosterone replacement therapy (TRT), which can help reduce the symptoms of low testosterone. TRT is available in different forms including injections, skin gels or patches, and oral tablets. If you’re taking TRT and want to monitor your testosterone levels, try our Advanced TRT Blood Test.

Testing your male hormone levels can indicate whether an imbalance could be contributing to difficulty conceiving. Low testosterone levels can cause reduced sex drive or erectile dysfunction, which can make it difficult to conceive. Conversely, abnormally high testosterone levels can impair sperm production and affect your fertility.

If you want to find out more about your fertility health, including a detailed analysis of 22 biomarkers for sperm health, try our at-home Male Fertility Sperm Test.