How do you check your testosterone at home

There are many different ways to check your testosterone at home, you start by looking out for clues which we've detailed below for both low and high testosterone.

But ultimately it's a hormone that is best measured with a blood or saliva sample. There are a range of at-home products for hormone testing, many of which use the same labs as healthcare professionals or walk-in lab centres and they're increasingly popular.

Before we dig into how you might start the process of checking, here are some of the best at-home hormone kits for testing your testosterone levels privately and discretely on your own. These companies partner with the same labs as hospitals and health centres and these one-time kit purchases cost from as low as $70 for basic T-Levels, up to $300 for advanced hormone testing.

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These tests are the only sure way to check your testosterone at home, but looking for clues is a good place to start. It does not guarantee a diagnosis of high or low levels but helps set you on the right path to understanding why you might be experiencing health issues related to testosterone levels.

All sexes have testosterone, so the need to understand your testosterone levels may differ depending on the needs of your body. The results in the form of levels will be different depending on whether you have procured a test aimed at measuring testosterone in men or the levels in women.

Look For Clues

Before you dive into the testing options it's always best to know the signs first and listen to your body. You might be testing your testosterone out of pure curiosity but for many, changes in their bodily functions might have led them to explore the root cause of those issues by taking a test.

Hormones help coordinate your body's functions and when there are imbalances, those functions can become unsettled. These imbalances can lead to unusual activity with what could be described as normal body functionality. So coupled with the ability to test your hormones from home, you need to look out for typical signs of hormone imbalances.

Low testosterone levels in men

Male hypogonadism happens if the testes do not produce enough testosterone, resulting in disruption to normal body functions.

Some of the signs of low testosterone in men:

• Reduced sex drive
• ED (erectile dysfunction)
• Depression
• Irritability and mood fluctuations
• Tiredness
• Loss of muscle mass and strength
• Hair loss
• Man boobs (gynecomastia)
• Weight gain (body fat)
• Infertility

Low testosterone levels in women

Women have smaller amounts of testosterone and disruption is less common, but there are still symptoms of low testosterone levels that might encourage a further test.

Some of the signs of low testosterone in women:

• Reduced sex drive
• Depression
• Tiredness
• Loss of muscle mass and strength

High testosterone levels in men

Sometimes we encourage raised testosterone levels in order to advance body functionality and physique. However, some health concerns can also lead to raised testosterone, so if higher levels are not expected it's important to investigate the anomaly through blood testing.

Some of the signs of high testosterone in men:

• Acne
• Irregular body hair growth
• Increased muscle mass
• Mood fluctuations
• High blood pressure
• Low blood pressure
• Sleep apnoea
• Trouble breathing
• Swelling (Hands and legs)

High testosterone levels in women

It is common for some women to strategically target an increase in testosterone and this will have an overwhelming impact on the body's functions and physique. If the increase in testosterone levels was not an objective, similar signs are likely to occur, so should be investigated with additional blood testing.

Some of the signs of high testosterone in women:

• Irregular body hair growth
• Increase in facial hair
• Acne
• Irregularities in their period
• Loss of scalp hair (balding)
• Increased muscle mass
• Decrease in breast size
• Lower voice
• Reduced sex drive
• Weight gain (body fat)

Take an At-home Testosterone Test

If you have come to the conclusion that certain symptoms might be highlighting a problem with your testosterone levels, it's best to get a testosterone blood test. We always recommend seeking help from a professional if you have concerns about symptoms.

However, if you feel the symptoms are low risk, they're not causing harm or any serious conflicts with your daily life, then an at-home test is a useful and affordable first step on the path to diagnosing a health concern and seeking treatment.

An at-home testosterone test will give you the exact same results as a professional lab test, giving you insights into the expected levels for your age, sex and body type. They do not diagnose illness in any way but can help evaluate your hormone levels compared to those expected normal ranges.

There is a selection of reputable at-home checks listed below that are trusted and supplied by legitimate health test providers. The concept is quite simple, a basic testing kit that you mail into a lab for processing.

The basic process

1. You buy a test through the website or app like a standard eCommerce shopping experience
2. Set up an online account and complete any health surveys relating to that test type
3. The kits are posted to you discreetly with free shipping in plain packaging
4. You activate your test through your account with the codes sent in your test kit
5. Take your test and send it back to the lab in the prepaid packaging
6. Receive your results in-app or online, with potential follow-up from a professional

In most cases, you need to provide a blood or saliva sample for these kits. The saliva tests are relatively simple, you chew on a small sponge until it soaks up enough saliva to send off to the lab.

Some tests require a blood spot test, where you dab some blood on a special material that soaks up the sample ready for you to send to the lab.

But for most modern and accurate tests, you are more likely to have to send the lab a small vial of blood that you have collected from a finger prick that flows out through the small punctured hole in the tip of that finger.

It's a quick and simple process using a device that flicks a very small needle out when you click it onto your finger. It does sting a little but that soon subsides and you can start collecting the tiny trickle of blood that forms where you made the hole.

Take an Advanced At-home Hormone Test

If you're taking a test because you're concerned about symptoms of ill health it might be worthwhile opting for a more advanced hormone test that includes testosterone as a biomarker among other hormones. This just means the same blood sample that you might provide for a testosterone test can be screened for other hormone levels.

It's common for us to have fluctuations in hormone levels as we grow and age, so symptoms may not be one thing or another. An advanced hormone test is simply a collection of tests in one, where other additional hormone levels are tested during the screening process.

Your results will then show varying levels of hormone levels including testosterone, from which you can take additional steps to act upon those results either through further consultation with the testing company or with your own primary care practitioner.

Advanced hormone levels check for men

Advanced hormone levels check for women

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