19 Jul Free vs. Total Testosterone Levels
Free vs. Total Testosterone Levels
With aging, Low T is quite common among men. Whether it’s low free testosterone or low total testosterone, both play a crucial role in your health. Low testosterone is usually associated with reduced sex drive, fatigue, mood swings, sudden weight gain, decreased muscle mass, erectile dysfunction, and low energy.
Low Total Testosterone
In the past decade, low testosterone, hypogonadism, or Low T condition has become common with a diverse range of symptoms. Low testosterone makes it difficult for individuals to perform everyday tasks and seriously impacts life. Low testosterone also increases the risk of other conditions like metabolic syndrome, diabetes, osteoporosis, and obesity.
You can look at total testosterone through the lens of testosterone present in the bloodstream. Now, this includes bound as well as unbound testosterone. As the title suggests – bound testosterone is paired with proteins like SHBG or sex hormone binding globulin. On the other hand, unbound testosterone is not attached to proteins and is part of the blood circulation.
Low Free Testosterone
Doctors measure free testosterone to find out the amount of free testosterone in the body. Bioavailable testosterone is the remaining amount of testosterone that cells can use. But when testosterone is attached to proteins within the blood, it is not usable for the cells.
Understand that the primary function of SHBG is to combine with testosterone. That’s because testosterone carries hormones in the blood and instructs the amount cells can use at a specific time. On average, the free testosterone in the body ranges from 2% to 5%. Low free testosterone levels can trigger symptoms of severe testosterone deficiency.
Free Testosterone and Total Testosterone Tests
You can also go to a medical clinic and just test levels of total testosterone levels. The free testosterone test makes sense when levels of total testosterone have significantly low T. When there are high levels of SHBG, you can have low free and total testosterone at the same time.
It is crucial to understand that many symptoms are attached to low-free testosterone. Ideally, individuals get tested for low-free and total testosterone to check complete blood work and make detailed health assessments.
LT Men’s Clinic: Dedicated Men’s Health Services
LT Men’s Clinic is an ideal Low T space to improve your overall health. We provide various treatment services that allow people to feel their absolute best. We perform a comprehensive health check to establish underlying conditions and head towards treatment. Our holistic treatment approach caters to specific needs. Reach out to us now.