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Testosterone. Most everyone has heard of it. Very few people fully understand
it. Testosterone is a steroid hormone which belongs to the androgen group.
Androgen is the natural or synthetic hormone that causes our body to
develop and maintain male characteristics, by binding to free androgen
receptors. With the exception of the use of anabolic steroids, all the
testosterone in our bodies will have been produced within the body.
Testosterone is mostly created in the leydig cells, located in the testes,
however traces of testosterone are created in the adrenal gland.
Types of Testosterone:
Free Testosterone:
Testosterone is the hormone that gives men the characteristics of men and in
todays society, testosterone deficiency is becoming more and more prolific,
posing many health risks for men. When getting testosterone levels checked,
there are two types of tests available: free testosterone, and total
testosterone. Total testosterone is the combination of free testosterone,
albumin-bound testosterone, and SHBG-bound testosterone. Because free
testosterone accounts for such a small amount of our plasma testosterone,
its usually measured in picograms per milliliter (pg/ml). However, because
albumin-bound testosterone and SHBG-bound testosterone make up the
majority of our plasma testosterone, they are measured in nanograms per
deciliter (ng/dl). So what is the normal range of testosterone? According to
Mayo Clinic, for males 15-16 yo, 17-18 yo, and 19-29yo, normal levels of
testosterone are respectively: 100-1,200, 300-1,200, and 240-1,070 (ng/dl).
After age 30, testosterone is expected to decrease by 1% each year.
According to any doctor referencing a chart similar to this, a testosterone
level of 400ng/dl at 40 years old may be considered normal, but this certainly
does not mean that level is optimal. With this being the case, dipping below
300-500ng/dl depending on your body may not result in symptoms of low
testosterone. Although actual serum testosterone tests are very expensive,
testosterone deficiency presents a variety of physical symptoms.
Hopefully now you better understand what your testosterone levels mean and
how testosterone works.