Hormones
Testosterone, Total, MS
What This Marker Tells Us
Measures all testosterone in your blood, including the small amount of active free hormone and the majority bound to proteins (SHBG and albumin), reflecting overall androgen status in your body.
Why It Matters
Testosterone is the primary androgen hormone critical for men and important for women, though at much lower levels. In men, testosterone supports muscle mass and strength, bone density, sexual function, energy, mood, cognitive function, cardiovascular health, and overall vitality. Low testosterone in men (hypogonadism) causes reduced libido, erectile dysfunction, fatigue, depression, loss of muscle mass, increased body fat, reduced bone density, and decreased quality of life. In women, testosterone supports libido, muscle maintenance, bone health, energy, and mood, though excessive levels can cause unwanted hair growth, acne, and menstrual irregularities. Testosterone naturally declines with age in both sexes, but pathological decreases warrant investigation and potential treatment. The MS (mass spectrometry) method is more accurate than older immunoassay methods, especially for women and children where testosterone levels are lower.
How to Interpret Your Trends
For men, optimal total testosterone is typically 500-900 ng/dL, though this varies by age. Levels below 300 ng/dL generally indicate hypogonadism requiring treatment. Levels of 300-500 ng/dL may cause symptoms and benefit from optimization, especially in younger men. Levels above 1000 ng/dL may indicate testosterone supplementation or rarely a testosterone-secreting tumor. For women, normal ranges are roughly 15-70 ng/dL; levels below this may contribute to low libido and fatigue, while levels above may cause masculinization effects. Testosterone naturally declines about 1-2% per year after age 30 in men. Morning levels are highest, so testing time matters.
What Influences This Marker
Testosterone decreases with aging, obesity (especially visceral fat), metabolic syndrome, diabetes, chronic stress, poor sleep, excessive endurance training, low-fat diets, certain medications (opioids, steroids), pituitary dysfunction, testicular damage, and chronic illness. In women, PCOS can elevate testosterone. Testosterone increases with resistance training, adequate sleep, stress management, weight loss, zinc and vitamin D optimization, and testosterone replacement therapy when indicated. Extremely high levels typically indicate supplementation or rarely tumors. SHBG levels affect how much testosterone is free and active.
How Your Team Uses It
Your coach implements resistance training protocols that naturally support testosterone production, develops sleep optimization strategies, stress management practices, and nutrition plans that include adequate healthy fats, zinc-rich foods (oysters, red meat, pumpkin seeds), and avoid excessive caloric restriction.
Related Signals We Also Review
Free testosterone, SHBG, LH, FSH, estradiol, DHEA-S, metabolic markers, and body composition for comprehensive hormonal assessment.