New Exercise and Fitness Review
February 28, 2014 By Danger & Play
Finding out your testosterone level isn’t some mystery. It’s pretty simply, really, and involves an inexpensive blood test that can be done in most any city. Here is how to measure your testosterone level.
[Disclaimer: This is not medical advice. These are my thoughts and opinions based on my own research and education. Always consult with a physician to discuss your testosterone level.]
Step 1. Go to Private MD Labs by clicking this link. Use Coupon Code HEALTHY12 to save 12%.
Private MD Labs allows you to order your own blood test to measure your testosterone level. You don’t need a doctor’s letter or permission. This allows you to understand and learn about your own health. The tests are not covered by insurance. I pay for mine using my Healthcare Savings Account.
You then find a local lab from their list (this is all covered during the checkout process) and go in to get your blood drawn.
I recommend the Female Hormone Panel (this one) for guys on a budget. The Female Hormone Panel will give you your total testosterone level but not your free testosterone level. (Some say you need to know both your free and total testosterone levels. Based on my experience, that is not true. If your total testosterone levels are low, then you have low T. If your total T is high, then your free testosterone levels are fine. Others disagree and that’s cool.)
Female Hormone Testing Panel (available here) contains the following tests:
- Estradiol, Serum
- Luteinizing Hormone (LH)
- Follicle-Stimulating Hormone (FSH)
- Testosterone, Serum
- Complete Blood Count (CBC)
- Comprehensive Metabolic Profile
Don’t worry if that seems overwhelming. We are going to discuss all of those tests using actual lab work. (Scroll down to the bottom of the page for a video.)
If you want to know your free testosterone level, then you’ll need to order a more expensive lab test. The Hormone Panel for Males test gives you your free and total testosterone level as well as your HDL and LDL cholesterol levels, lipid levels, and more.
Hormone Panel for Males (available here) contains the following tests:
- Lipid Profile
- Complete Blood Count w/ Differential
- Estradiol, Sensitive
- Insulin Growth Factor (IGF-1)
- Comprehensive Metabolic Panel
- Testosterone (Free) , Serum (Equilibrium Ultrafiltration) With Total Testosterone
- Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA)
- Thyroid Profile
If you have a little bit more cash, then the Male Anti-Aging Panel is a great one. The Male Anti-Aging Panel is overkill for men under 30 and maybe even overkill for men under 40. Because my health is important to me, I spend the extra cash for this test even though I am under 40.
The Male Anti-Aging Panel (available here) contains the following tests:
- Lipid Profile
- Complete Blood Count w/ Differential
- Estradiol, Sensitive
- Insulin Growth Factor (IGF-1)
- Comprehensive Metabolic Panel
- Testosterone, Free (Direct), Serum With Total Testosterone
- Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA)
- Thyroid Profile
- Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) Sulfate
- Thyroxine (T4) Free, Direct
- Tri-iodothyronine (T3), Free, Serum
Step 2. Wait 48 to 72 hours to get your blood test results.
I’ve had my blood tests back the next day. Sometimes it takes up to 3 days. If you get your labs done on a Friday, you might not get your results back until Wednesday or Thursday.
It’s great because once your labs are done, you get an email with a PDF of those results. No more blindly following your doctor who says, “Your labs are fine.”
This puts you in the driver’s seat of your own health.
Step 3. Analyze those results.
Check out this video to see how I analyze blood work. This is not medical advice. This is just what I personally think about the lab work.
(You may need to click on the video to full screen mode to see the paperwork.)
World Class Bodybuilding Forum
How to Measure Your Testosterone Level (Blood Work and TRT)
No comments:
Post a Comment