metaboliqBlood test explained
Testosterone test: normal ranges, PCOS in women, and levels in men
Testosterone is read very differently in women and men, and weight affects it in both. In women it is one of the ways PCOS is recognised; in men, low levels travel with fat around the waist and insulin resistance.
What it is
What the Testosterone test measures
Total testosterone measures all the testosterone in the blood, most of it bound to a carrier protein called SHBG (sex hormone-binding globulin) and to albumin. Only the small free fraction acts on tissues, so SHBG, which is in our laboratory register, is often measured alongside to estimate how much is available.
SHBG itself carries information: insulin resistance lowers it. That means a woman can have a normal total testosterone but a high free fraction, and a man with a low total can have more available hormone than the total suggests.
Why it matters
Why it matters for weight and metabolism
In women, PCOS is recognised by two of three features: irregular or absent ovulation, signs of high androgens such as excess hair growth or acne (or raised testosterone on a blood test), and polycystic ovaries on ultrasound. PCOS is closely linked to insulin resistance, and weight gain can make its symptoms stronger.
In men, fat tissue converts testosterone to oestrogen, and low testosterone is common with obesity and insulin resistance. It can reduce energy, drive and muscle, which a plan built to protect muscle has to account for. Levels often rise as waist size and blood sugar improve.
Reading the result
How a result is usually read
Standard reference points, not a reading of anybody's own report. The interval your laboratory prints is the one that applies, and a doctor reads the number beside the rest of the panel and your history.
- Women
- Ranges are far lower than in men and differ between methods; mass-spectrometry assays are more accurate at low levels. Raised total or calculated free testosterone supports the androgen feature of PCOS.
- Men
- A harmonised reference range for healthy non-obese men aged 19 to 39 is about 264 to 916 ng/dL. A low result is confirmed on a repeat morning sample before it is acted on.
- SHBG
- Read beside total testosterone; low SHBG raises the free fraction and often signals insulin resistance.
Sources: International evidence-based guideline for PCOS, 2023; Rotterdam criteria, 2003; Endocrine Society guideline on testosterone in men, 2018; Travison et al., Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, 2017. Your laboratory's printed interval applies.
At home
How it is collected at home
A phlebotomist from a partnered NABL-accredited laboratory draws one blood sample at your address, in a morning slot, and the laboratory reports the results to the doctor who reads your panel. Home collection depends on your pincode, which is checked before you pay.
Testosterone is highest in the morning, so the sample is drawn early, ideally between about 7 and 10 am, and in men preferably fasting.
For women with regular cycles, many laboratories suggest the early part of the cycle; with irregular cycles, any day is acceptable. Hormonal contraception changes the result, so mention it to the doctor.
The Testosterone test is named in our laboratory register and is added to a panel when your sex, age or reason for coming calls for it, or when the doctor asks for it.
The limit
Its limits, stated plainly
Testosterone varies with time of day, illness, poor sleep and the assay used, so a single borderline value is not a diagnosis. In women it is one piece of PCOS, not the whole of it; in men, symptoms and a repeat morning test are needed before low testosterone is confirmed.
Read beside it
The tests a doctor reads with this one
A body is read as a whole. These are the results this one is most often read against.
- Fasting insulin test
What a fasting insulin test shows that a sugar test cannot: the early signal of insulin resistance, how results are read, and how to prepare for the draw.
- Thyroid test
What a thyroid test measures: TSH, free T3 and T4 and anti-TPO antibodies, how the ranges are read, what the thyroid has to do with weight, and home collection.
- HOMA-IR test
How HOMA-IR is calculated from fasting glucose and fasting insulin, what the score suggests about insulin resistance, and why no single cut-off fits everyone.
Conditions it helps a doctor read
Questions
Questions people ask about the Testosterone test
Why would a woman have her testosterone checked?
Raised androgens are one of the three features used to recognise PCOS. A blood test can confirm them when signs such as excess hair growth or acne are unclear, and it helps a doctor rule out rarer causes of high testosterone.
Why does the time of the testosterone test matter?
Testosterone follows a daily rhythm and is highest in the early morning. A sample taken in the afternoon can read low for no clinical reason, which is why a morning draw is the standard.
What is SHBG and why is it tested with testosterone?
Sex hormone-binding globulin carries testosterone in the blood and keeps most of it inactive. Knowing SHBG lets a doctor estimate the free, active fraction, and a low SHBG is itself a common sign of insulin resistance.
One next step
Have it read by a doctor, with the rest of your panel
Health assessment: ₹1,799. Blood test, 45+ metabolic markers, Collected at your home, A doctor reviews your results, A decision on whether this is right for you, A nutritionist on your care team, Health Coach, A personalised plan around day 3. A registered doctor reads every result against your history and writes your plan.