Am I low in testosterone or what?
February 16, 2010 1:34 PM Subscribe
Testosterone test results, what's the deal here?
Had my testosterone levels checked. When I went to the doctor to get the results, he said they were fine, smack dab in the average for my age, 40.
When I asked for a copy of the results, here's what I got:
Test, Total: 500 ng/dl (Normal range 250-1100)
Test Free %: 1.88 (Normal range 1.5-2.2)
Free test: 93.0 pg/ml (Normal range 35-155)
Looking at the results, what do they even mean, what are the 3 different results measuring? and don't the results seem on the low side of average? Take the first test, if the normal range is 250-1100 and I got a 500, isn't that super low on the scale?!
I know I should ask my doctor about this, but I'm not scheduled to go back for a while and when I called to reschedule an earlier visit, he's on vacation for the next two weeks, so the answers are needed!
Had my testosterone levels checked. When I went to the doctor to get the results, he said they were fine, smack dab in the average for my age, 40.
When I asked for a copy of the results, here's what I got:
Test, Total: 500 ng/dl (Normal range 250-1100)
Test Free %: 1.88 (Normal range 1.5-2.2)
Free test: 93.0 pg/ml (Normal range 35-155)
Looking at the results, what do they even mean, what are the 3 different results measuring? and don't the results seem on the low side of average? Take the first test, if the normal range is 250-1100 and I got a 500, isn't that super low on the scale?!
I know I should ask my doctor about this, but I'm not scheduled to go back for a while and when I called to reschedule an earlier visit, he's on vacation for the next two weeks, so the answers are needed!
I am not a medical professional or your doctor. But it's not an emergency, there's no harm in waiting two weeks to ask your doctor.
If the normal range is 250-1100, and your value is 500, then that's in the normal range. Surely you knew that, though. All of your values are in the normal range. They provide the normal range on your paperwork precisely to keep you from freaking out like you are right now. He even went so far as to TELL you they were normal. You shouldn't be concerned.
posted by penduluum at 1:51 PM on February 16, 2010
If the normal range is 250-1100, and your value is 500, then that's in the normal range. Surely you knew that, though. All of your values are in the normal range. They provide the normal range on your paperwork precisely to keep you from freaking out like you are right now. He even went so far as to TELL you they were normal. You shouldn't be concerned.
posted by penduluum at 1:51 PM on February 16, 2010
Testosterone circulating in the blood can be either "free" or bound to certain blood proteins. You were tested for the total concentration of testosterone in your blood and for the concentration of free testosterone in your blood. Those concentrations are both reported, as well as the concentration of free as a percentage of the total concentration.
All of your results are well within the normal ranges, which can be quite broad. You likely are not suffering from any endocrine disorders related to testosterone metabolism or binding. Note that these results do not include "average" values, simply normal ranges. Even if they were "on the low side" of these normal ranges (which they aren't, really), they would not indicate a disorder.
posted by mr_roboto at 1:52 PM on February 16, 2010
All of your results are well within the normal ranges, which can be quite broad. You likely are not suffering from any endocrine disorders related to testosterone metabolism or binding. Note that these results do not include "average" values, simply normal ranges. Even if they were "on the low side" of these normal ranges (which they aren't, really), they would not indicate a disorder.
posted by mr_roboto at 1:52 PM on February 16, 2010
If you have not heard it, you may be interested in listening to the This American Life episode entitled "Testosterone" - a variety of fascinating views on the subject, both serious and lighthearted.
posted by gyusan at 2:03 PM on February 16, 2010
posted by gyusan at 2:03 PM on February 16, 2010
You have entirely adequate amounts of testosterone. I am an physician and have been regularly ordering and interpreting testosterone levels for over 15 years.
Technically speaking, these are not "normal" ranges but "reference" ranges. Take a few thousand random men off the street, measure their testosterone levels, throw out the top 2.5% and the bottom 2.5%, and the resulting 95% middle values are the "reference range". Normalcy doesn't necessarily coincide with the reference range, but for testosterone it's close enough.
Free (unbound) testosterone is what is biologically active. We usually measure total (bound and unbound) testosterone first because it's a much cheaper test; only if the total testerone is low to we proceed to measure the free level. The most common cause of low TOTAL testosterone is obesity, which somehow lowers the amount of the protein that testosterone binds to (SHBG); the free testosterone will usually be normal. This is the theory, although obese men with low total testosterone but "normal" free testerone are much more likely to have sexual dysfunction (impotence) than nonobese. YMMV.
posted by neuron at 3:41 PM on February 16, 2010 [3 favorites]
Technically speaking, these are not "normal" ranges but "reference" ranges. Take a few thousand random men off the street, measure their testosterone levels, throw out the top 2.5% and the bottom 2.5%, and the resulting 95% middle values are the "reference range". Normalcy doesn't necessarily coincide with the reference range, but for testosterone it's close enough.
Free (unbound) testosterone is what is biologically active. We usually measure total (bound and unbound) testosterone first because it's a much cheaper test; only if the total testerone is low to we proceed to measure the free level. The most common cause of low TOTAL testosterone is obesity, which somehow lowers the amount of the protein that testosterone binds to (SHBG); the free testosterone will usually be normal. This is the theory, although obese men with low total testosterone but "normal" free testerone are much more likely to have sexual dysfunction (impotence) than nonobese. YMMV.
posted by neuron at 3:41 PM on February 16, 2010 [3 favorites]
don't the results seem on the low side of average? Take the first test, if the normal range is 250-1100 and I got a 500, isn't that super low on the scale?!
No. Don't turn into one of these people obsessed with how much testerone you have floating around. Your numbers fall squarely in the normal range, which is in most cases defined as where 95% of "normal" people are. Without knowing what the distribution of testosterone levels looks like in the population and how skewed it is, you don't know if you are "below average" or if an average is even an appropriate statistical measure of the central tendency to begin with (it probably ain't). Your numbers may well be above the median, and that is even more likely to be the case if you were to correct for variation with age.
Note that there is significant (diurnal) variation in testosterone levels throughout the day. Some would argue that a peak serum level should be looked at, performed around 8 am if you're looking for low levels. In other words, depending on what time of day your blood was drawn, your testosterone level may at times be even higher (up to about 40% higher in fact) than the numbers you have from this set of labs.
Even in patients with true hypogonadism, the Endocrine Society recommends supplemental testosterone to achieve goal levels in the neighborhood of 300-400 ng/dL (ie less than your current level).
posted by drpynchon at 3:57 PM on February 16, 2010
No. Don't turn into one of these people obsessed with how much testerone you have floating around. Your numbers fall squarely in the normal range, which is in most cases defined as where 95% of "normal" people are. Without knowing what the distribution of testosterone levels looks like in the population and how skewed it is, you don't know if you are "below average" or if an average is even an appropriate statistical measure of the central tendency to begin with (it probably ain't). Your numbers may well be above the median, and that is even more likely to be the case if you were to correct for variation with age.
Note that there is significant (diurnal) variation in testosterone levels throughout the day. Some would argue that a peak serum level should be looked at, performed around 8 am if you're looking for low levels. In other words, depending on what time of day your blood was drawn, your testosterone level may at times be even higher (up to about 40% higher in fact) than the numbers you have from this set of labs.
Even in patients with true hypogonadism, the Endocrine Society recommends supplemental testosterone to achieve goal levels in the neighborhood of 300-400 ng/dL (ie less than your current level).
posted by drpynchon at 3:57 PM on February 16, 2010
Why were you getting your testosterone levels tested in the first place? What are you looking for?
Personally, my numbers show testosterone levels that aren't huuugely above the normal range for women, but I still get some fairly severe PCOS symptoms if I don't take my spironolactone every day. Point being, it's not just the numbers, it's what they really mean in terms of your body's reactions. I suggest focusing on your symptoms, not your numbers.
When I go to my endocrinologist, we talk about where my symptoms are, both positive and negative, and try to finetune my meds so as to balance both the positive (libido, energy) and the negative (hair gain/loss, acne, weight) sides of having elevated testosterone levels. For me, it's important to suppress them somewhat, but not too much.
Good luck with everything.
posted by Eshkol at 5:46 PM on February 16, 2010 [2 favorites]
Personally, my numbers show testosterone levels that aren't huuugely above the normal range for women, but I still get some fairly severe PCOS symptoms if I don't take my spironolactone every day. Point being, it's not just the numbers, it's what they really mean in terms of your body's reactions. I suggest focusing on your symptoms, not your numbers.
When I go to my endocrinologist, we talk about where my symptoms are, both positive and negative, and try to finetune my meds so as to balance both the positive (libido, energy) and the negative (hair gain/loss, acne, weight) sides of having elevated testosterone levels. For me, it's important to suppress them somewhat, but not too much.
Good luck with everything.
posted by Eshkol at 5:46 PM on February 16, 2010 [2 favorites]
Yeah, sounds totally normal to me, saying this as a guy who gets his levels checked every month or so since last year due to hormone difficulties. My doctor tells me normal is between the 200-800 range, which you're squarely in the middle of. (I'm barely up to 100)
posted by mathowie at 9:37 PM on February 20, 2010
posted by mathowie at 9:37 PM on February 20, 2010
« Older Streaming webcam on a Windows Server 2003? | Saying to my child: 'you're on your own' Newer »
This thread is closed to new comments.
93 picograms per milliliter were measured "free", as in, not bound up in something.
500 nanograms per deciliter were measured in another test measuring both free and not-free testosterone.
Also presented is the percentage of your total testosterone which is free.
(here is a forum thread talking about unit conversions and, coincidentally, testosterone)
1pg=1,000ng
1dL=100mL
thus 93pg/mL=9.3ng/dL
9.3 "free" is 1.86% of 500 "total" ng/dL. Numerical difference 1.86% or 1.88% due to rounding, I assume.
posted by aimedwander at 1:51 PM on February 16, 2010