How To Read Testosterone Blood Test Results
(MEDICAL DISCLAIMER: WE ARE NOT DOCTORS AND THIS IS NOT MEDICAL ADVICE. THIS IS PURELY INFORMATION FOR ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES. DO YOUR OWN RESEARCH AN SPEAK WITH YOUR DOCTOR BEFORE UNDERGOING ANY MAJOR DIETARY OR LIFESTYLE CHANGE.)
Testosterone is responsible for everything that helps make a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.
It is the primary hormone that is responsible for nearly all of the characteristics that are considered masculine such as: strength, confidence, and assertiveness to name a few.
Which is why it is very important for all men over the age of 18 to get their testosterone levels tested to know where they stand.
The problem is that reading these tests can get very confusing.
They're so confusing because generally:
1) There's no standard measurement for testosterone levels
2) There's no agreed upon range for healthy testosterone levels
So we're here to help you sort things out.
When you get your testosterone levels checked you want to get these two tests done:
1. Total Testosterone (TT)
- This is the total amount of testosterone in your blood, including both bound (used) testosterone and unbound (free testosterone).
- It typically measured in nanograms per deciliter (ng/dL).
- Doctors will ALWAYS test for TT and many will only test for TT despite FT being a better indicator for low/high testosterone levels…
2. Free Testosterone Levels (FT)
- This is the amount of testosterone in your blood that isn't bound by Sex Hormone Binding Globulin (SHBG) and is free to act on tissues, giving you masculine characteristics.
- Free testosterone is typically measured in picograms per milliliter (pg/mL).
- FT is actually more important in diagnosing low T than total test, but is often overlooked by medical professionals.
When you get back your results back it will probably look like this:
Total Testosterone Results: 600 ng/dL -or- 20.8 nmol/L
Free Testosterone Results: 17.5 pg/mL
(You can google how to convert these numbers.)
On your individual test you're going to get a HUGE “healthy range” for where your t-levels should fall into.
Most of the time it will say if you fall between 270 – 1,100 ng/dL on TT that you're fine.
And if you fall between 9.3 – 27.5 pg/mL on FT that you're fine.
Why such a huge range?
Because as guys get older, their baseline testosterone levels drop.
(Men typically start to really feel the drop in testosterone levels when they hit their 40s and start experiencing low testosterone symptoms.)
And when they do tests, they combine the average testosterone levels of 80 year old men with 18 year old men, to give a general average of the population.
It's not a smart way of going about things.
Please tell us in what other medical situation can your range be 3x different from the highest to the lowest and be considered fine?
None.
So we created our own range, based on personal & observational experience.
(Remember, we are NOT doctors, this is just based off of what we've noticed over the years.)
KEY:
- TT = Total Testosterone
- FT = Free Testosterone
LOW TESTOSTERONE RESULTS:
- You have low testosterone levels
- Low testosterone symptoms may occur
- Revamping your lifestyle is a priority, start with the big 3: Diet, Exercise, Sleep
- You may want to have a doctor look at your testicles to make sure they are functioning properly
- Depending on your age, TRT is an option
AVERAGE TESTOSTERONE RESULTS:
TT: 400 – 700 ng/dL
FT: 12.0 – 21.0 pg/mL
- You are in the average range of adult males
- Some Low testosterone symptoms may appear
- Natural remedies (test boosters) will help to boost lacking testosterone levels
- By simply altering your lifestyle (Diet, Exercise, Sleep) you have the potential to have high testosterone levels
- TRT is not recommended until 6 months of healthy living and still no change if you are on the lower end of this range
HIGH TESTOSTERONE RESULTS:
TT: 700 ng/dL – 1,100 ng/dL
FT: 21 pg/mL – 33+ pg/mL
- You have high testosterone levels!
- This is the range that you should strive to stay in year-round.
- Whatever habits you are doing/following, keep it up.
- Now is time to really dial things in to see how high you can get it, but don't expect huge changes via natural methods
Note about Free Testosterone (FT) levels: All of the above is based off of averages. Averagely speaking, most guys have around 3% of their testosterone as being FT.
Some guys however, can have more than 3% FT. Sometimes up to 5%+ so keep that in mind when you get your ranges back.
If your FT is 50+ pg/mL the test isn't broken your body is just optimized to make more FT, which is great!
So there you have it, a quick & easy breakdown to help you understand testosterone levels.
We hoped this helped you as you go about trying to live a high testosterone lifestyle.
If you have low testosterone, don't freak out about it.
The best thing is that you know where your levels are so that you can start working on it.
The greatest thing is that your body can and will adapt to the circumstances that you give it.
If you want to get higher testosterone levels, then live a higher testosterone lifestyle and when you get tested a few months later, you'll almost always see vast improvements.
And if you want to kickstart the process of helping your body create more testosterone then we have just the thing for you.
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David
It’s awesome to see y’all giving out quality information to help guys navigate the world of hormone optimization. Regarding T-levels, I always wondered what a good range to sit in might be. Glad to have a reference range to glance at from time to time.
Quick question, if this is the appropriate place to ask, regarding Free T…I’m 34 years old and had a blood test roughly three months ago. My total T levels came back in the high range (755 ng/dl; it’s been as high as 935 in the last year), but my Free T came back as only 9.2 pg/ml. My blood test also showed that I had high levels of SHBG (64.8 nmol/L) and I know that’s effecting my Free T levels.
RedSteve, in your opinion, what’s a good course of action to bring up those Free T levels and/or decrease the SHBG effect on them?
RedSteve
Hey David, glad you liked the article. We’re planning to do more of these kinds of things moving forward.
To clarify some stuff:
Total Test levels from 755-935 is a good situation to be in, it means your body is producing natural testosterone well.
BUT, your body is binding (using up) all of that testosterone it produces, leaving your body with only a fraction of the free testosterone that you should have. With TT @ 755 & FT @ 9.2, that shows you’re body is only allowing 1.2% of your total testosterone to be allowed as Free testosterone. Most guys see around 3-5% of Total testosterone as free testosterone, which in your case would show up as 23-37 pg/mL.
You’re right, a large reason why this is happening is because your SHBG levels are too high. The range that we’re often given for SHBG is 10 – 57 nmol/L for males. We like to look at that as a bit lower, more like 10-30 is a better range to be in. But even considering both ranges, @ 64.8, you’ve got a lot of SHBG that’s eating up a lot of your testosterone.
Managing SHBG levels is a bit tricky. Three of the most important things that scientists have seen to effect SHBG levels are age, diet, and body mass index. As for age, there is a clear correlation between being older and having higher SHBG levels. At 34, you’re probably starting to feel the effects of this, unfortunately, that’s just the way our bodies work. We aren’t getting any younger here, so it’s just something to be aware of as you focus on the more important factor: diet.
Scientists have noted that there is a direct relation between certain types of food that you eat and your SHBG levels. The food that is most highly associated with a rise in SHBG levels is first Fiber, then followed by sugar. Whereas the food that is most highly associated with a decrease in SHBG levels is Protein.
So what does this mean? I’m not sure what your diet is currently, but by switching to a low-carb, high protein, moderate-high fat diet should help to: lower your SHBG levels, increase your TT production, & increase your FT production.
(Fiber & sugar both of coming from a carbohydrate-rich diet.)
A good rule of thumb is to eat 1g of protein per lb of lean body mass, or to make it simple, 1 lb of protein per 1 lb of body weight.
Finally, scientists have seen that body mass index is also a major contributor for rising SHBG levels in older men, meaning that the higher your BMI the higher rates of SHBG are typically seen. We don’t really like BMI as a measurement really, but it’s a good rule of thumb to follow.
Hope this helps clear things up and answer all of your questions!
Source: (Scientific Study on SHBG)
David
Thank you very much for the detailed response. I’ll certainly start implementing some changes in my diet based on the criteria you mentioned. Hopefully that will start me on the right path to getting my Free T sorted out.
Side note: I just purchased the Red Mass Muscle Stack the other day, so I’m looking forward to getting those supplements into my routine and seeing how they effect my training and my physique. I hope to be singing their praises in the coming couple of months.
Anyway, thanks again and keep up the great content.
RedSteve
Great to hear David, happy to help. We are looking forward to hearing about your progress in the upcoming months. Keep training hard.