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The number one thing you want to get tested if you’re symptomatic is your total testosterone levels, which includes all forms of testosterone in your body: unbound free T, SHBG-bound T, and ...
The part of the total hormone concentration that is not bound to its respective specific carrier protein is the free part. As a result, testosterone which is not bound to SHBG is called free testosterone. Only the free amount of testosterone can bind to an androgenic receptor, which means it has biological activity. [135]
However, free testosterone is difficult and expensive to measure (it requires a time-consuming dialysis step), and many laboratories do not offer this service. The free androgen index is intended to give a guide to the free testosterone level, but it is not very accurate (especially in males — see endocrine society commentary below).
DHT is five times more potent than free testosterone (the type your body uses), says Calvert. Finasteride, a prescription medication for hair loss, works by blocking the conversion of testosterone ...
In particular, research has questioned the validity of commonly administered assays of free testosterone by radioimmunoassay. [16] The free androgen index, essentially a calculation based on total testosterone and sex hormone-binding globulin levels, has been found to be the worst predictor of free testosterone levels and should not be used. [17]
Testosterone is the primary androgen — or male hormone — in your body. Low testosterone affects up to 39 percent of adult men in the US over the age of 45, and becomes increasingly prevalent ...
The elimination half-life of DHT in the body (53 minutes) is longer than that of testosterone (34 minutes), and this may account for some of the difference in their potency. [51] A study of transdermal (patches) DHT and testosterone treatment reported terminal half-lives of 2.83 hours and 1.29 hours, respectively.
The only way to know for sure if your testosterone levels are where they should be is to get a blood test to assess your hormones (including free and total testosterone levels).