The most accurate way to determine your testosterone levels is with a simple blood test. Yes, some medications, such as opioids, steroids, and drugs used to treat cancer or certain mental health conditions, can affect testosterone levels. If your results are outside the normal range for your age and sex, your doctor may order more tests to find the cause. This blood test is used to check for symptoms such as breast discharge, missed periods, infertility, or low sex drive in females. Because testosterone levels naturally change throughout the day, your doctor may order a second test to confirm if your levels are too high or too low. Testosterone blood testThis simple blood test is usually done early in the morning, when your testosterone levels are highest. Sometimes, doctors can diagnose certain conditions by looking at free testosterone levels alone. Blood tests are a very common and essential part of medical testing. In some cases, your healthcare provider may ask you to fast (not eat or drink anything except water) several hours before the test. More specifically, the testicles in males and the ovaries in females make testosterone. Drinking excess amounts of alcohol can lead to low sex drive and impaired sexual performance. Low testosterone is usually diagnosed with a blood test. After the age of 30, a man’s body begins to produce less testosterone. In people with penises, the testicles make testosterone. Doctors use it to diagnose conditions caused by too much or too little of the hormone. Our Find a Provider tool makes it easy to search Cleveland Clinic’s trusted network. From sinus infections and high blood pressure to preventive screening, we’re here for you. Don’t hesitate to ask your provider questions. Seeing an abnormal test result may kick off alarm bells in your mind. We encourage you to discuss your free testosterone result with a health professional. Both varieties suggest an abnormality in the level of bioavailable testosterone. If not, we encourage you to prompt such a discussion; it is important to understand how your results relate to your symptoms, general health, and long-term disease risk. A healthcare professional should discuss your testosterone test results with you. A healthcare professional will take a blood sample from a vein in your arm using a small needle. Your doctor may also order SHBG, estradiol, PSA, CBC, metabolic panel, and thyroid function tests to get a complete hormonal and health picture. These ranges may vary depending on what exact tests a laboratory runs. A person’s FSH level will change throughout their lifetime. For the purposes of this article, we use "male" and "female" to refer to a person’s sex assigned at birth. Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) plays an integral role in reproductive processes. This results in the high local levels of testosterone that are required for normal sperm production. For males, the average testosterone level range is 300–800 ng/dL. At this time there are no age-specific testosterone reference ranges for males or females. A testosterone test is the only way to know for sure if you have low testosterone levels. These simple blood tests can be administered by a medical professional in a lab or through an at-home testosterone test kit. You can test your testosterone levels with a testosterone test. You may also consider natural ways to increase testosterone levels. If the levels aren’t within a standard range, you can discuss potential treatment options, including testosterone replacement therapy. For adult females, testosterone is generally between 15 ng/dL and 70 ng/dL. In adult males, the average testosterone range will depend on a person’s age. In females, testosterone is produced in much lesser quantities in the ovaries, adrenal glands, and fat cells. For both sexes, having too little or too much testosterone can cause symptoms. For this reason, a high LH and FSH level indicates testicular failure and, in combination with low total testosterone, is used to diagnose primary hypogonadism.11 Speaking with a doctor or medical professional is a good place to start if you have concerns about your testosterone levels. However, whether a high or low SHBG level is concerning in your case depends on how a health professional interprets this result with your symptoms and other results (total and free testosterone levels). As with the total testosterone levels described above, your levels of free testosterone will vary due to age. By way of comparison, the following chart gives the so-called "normal" testosterone levels by another quality testing lab – Quest Diagnostics. Higher-than-normal testosterone levels are uncommon in adult males, but they can happen in children and may trigger early puberty. You may talk to your healthcare provider about a testosterone level test if you have symptoms of low testosterone.
