Hormone Testing at Access Medical Laboratories

HORMONE INFORMATION - TESTOSTERONE

What is the Testosterone test?

This test may be done if you have symptoms of abnormal male hormone (androgen) production.

In males, the testes produce most of the circulating testosterone. The hormone LH from the pituitary gland stimulates the Leydig cells in the testicles to produce testosterone.

In females, the ovaries produce most of the testosterone. The adrenal cortex produces another male hormone, called DHEAS.

Testosterone levels are used to assess:

• Early or late puberty in boys
• Impotence and infertility in men
• Excess hair growth, male body characteristics (virilization), and irregular menstrual periods in women

Normal Results

• Male: 300 -1,000 ng/dL
• Female: 20 - 80 ng/dL

Note: ng/dL = nanograms per deciliter

Normal value ranges may vary slightly among different laboratories. Talk to your doctor about the meaning of your specific test results.

What Abnormal Results Mean

Increased production of testosterone:

• Androgen resistance
• Congenital adrenal hyperplasia
• Ovarian cancer
• Polycystic ovary disease
• Precocious puberty
• Testicular cancer

Decreased production of testosterone:

• Chronic illness
• Delayed puberty
• Hypopituitarism
• Prolactinoma
• Testicular failure

HORMONE IMBALANCE SYMPTOMS IN WOMEN Allergy symptoms Depression, Fatigue, Anxiety Endometriosis Fibrocystic breasts Hair loss, facial hair growth Headaches, dizziness Low sex drive Osteoporosis PMS Urinary tract infection Weight gain Wrinkly skin

HORMONE IMBALANCE SYMPTOMS IN MEN Difficulty passing urine Mood swings Inability to lose weight Fatigue Foggy thinking, Memory loss Lack of interest in sex Reduced muscle strength Erectile dysfunction Enlarged prostate Burning sensation urinating Panic, weeping Blood sugar imbalance

RESOURCES:

1. Corbier P, Edwards DA, Roffi J (1992). "The neonatal testosterone surge: a comparative study". Arch Int Physiol Biochim Biophys 100 (2): 127­31. doi:10.3109/13813459209035274. PMID 1379488.

2. Dakin CL, Wilson CA, Kalló I, Coen CW, Davies DC (May 2008). "Neonatal stimulation of 5-HT(2) receptors reduces androgen receptor expression in the rat anteroventral periventricular nucleus and sexually dimorphic preoptic area". Eur. J. Neurosci. 27 (9): 2473­80. doi:10.1111/j.1460-9568.2008.06216.x. PMID 18445234.

3. http://homepage.psy.utexas.edu/homepage/class/psy308/Humm/ReviewofSexualDifferentiation