How to get your testosterone levels checked, including symptoms of hormonal imbalances, available test options, and how to interpret your results. Some males can have abnormal testosterone levels for years without knowing. Following a nutritious diet and healthy lifestyle using some of the tips outlined above can help optimize testosterone levels and promote overall health. Healthy testosterone levels are also important for people assigned female at birth, along with other key hormones such as estrogen and progesterone. Sleep quality may also have major effects on your testosterone levels. Other research suggests that several herbal supplements could also help support healthy testosterone levels, including saw palmetto, ginger, and ashwagandha. In a 2021 study, zinc supplementation increased testosterone levels and improved sexual function in postmenopausal women with low blood levels of zinc. You will be emailed when they are ready.Discuss your results with an independent healthcare provider at no extra cost. No doctor visit is required for purchase, but an independent healthcare provider is involved throughout the process. Questhealth.com offers 150+ consumer-initiated Quest Diagnostics lab tests to empower you to have more control over your health journey. Symptoms of low testosterone in females are not well characterized. Testosterone is an androgen steroid hormone and the principal male sex hormone, but it is also produced in females. PA was measured with a waist-worn uniaxial accelerometer (AM-7164; ActiGraph LLC; Ft. Walton Beach, FL) for up to 7 days using a standardized protocol within the same data acquisition time frame for each NHANES participant. Out of these, 107 (27.7%) were excluded due to missing data reaching a final sample size of 279 subjects enrolled into analysis. Of 2922 men aged at least 18 years old at the time of the survey, 2052 had valid accelerometer data. A man's general health also affects his testosterone levels. While falling testosterone levels are a normal part of aging, certain conditions can hasten the decline. Women should remain within the female physiologic testosterone range when therapy is used, not chase male-style replacement levels. Even when a testosterone value looks appealing on paper, treatment is not successful if symptoms have not improved, hematocrit has risen too far, fertility plans were ignored, or side effects are emerging. This section collects any data citations, data availability statements, or supplementary materials included in this article. Finally, we were unable to determine each man’s "valid wearing days" for the accelerometer nor extrapolate the relative influence of sport activities on the overall step CPD, which may limit the interpretation. Importantly, the NHANES data reported in the present study must be considered observational and no causal inferences may be deemed. First, only a limited number of NHANES respondents had available data for analysis.