Testosterone levels can be checked with a simple blood test, which can determine if levels are too high or low. Both men and women can experience abnormal levels, and testing is important for determining appropriate treatment options.
Questions about testosterone levels normally arise when an individual is experiencing symptoms that are considered abnormal. While most people think that testosterone is only relevant to male health, the fact is that women can also experience situations where the testosterone level is outside of a normal range. The good news is that determining your current testosterone levels is a simple process that can produce results in as little as a couple of days.
All that is needed to assess your current testosterone level is a simple blood test. A qualified healthcare professional such as a doctor or nurse will draw blood, usually from a vein found in one of your arms. This is accomplished by wrapping an elastic band around the upper arm, causing the lower arm veins to become more prominent. After selecting the vein and swabbing the skin with alcohol, a needle is inserted directly into the vein. One or two small blood vials are filled with blood and the puncture is bandaged.
The collected blood is sent to a laboratory, where tests are performed to determine the current level of testosterone found in the samples. This process usually takes no more than a day or two. Tests can ascertain whether the individual suffers from a testosterone deficiency or if the levels are higher than what is considered normal for the patient’s age and gender.
Controlling high or low testosterone levels usually occurs when one or more symptoms indicate that the level of this male hormone is outside the normal range. In males, the test may be done if there is difficulty getting or maintaining an erection, or if there is any concern that sperm levels are too low for the male to father a child. Boys below and at the mean age of puberty can be monitored even if the development of male gender characteristics appears to be delayed or accelerated in some way.
With females, checking testosterone levels may be recommended if the female begins to exhibit male-related characteristics such as the development of excessive body and facial hair or an unusual deepening of the voice. Low testosterone can also be indicated if the female finds that she has little or no desire to engage in sexual activity with her partner. Doctors sometimes do testosterone level checks when investigating cases where a woman is experiencing unusual circumstances with her menstrual periods.
Because testing testosterone levels can determine whether current levels are low or high, these tests are vital in determining what type of treatments need to take place to restore those levels to a normal range. In some cases, testosterone therapy may use drugs to lower testosterone levels in order to eliminate unwanted symptoms associated with the condition. When testing indicates low testosterone, testosterone replacement therapy can be used to bring levels back into the normal range.
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