Total Testosterone Test for Women: Know Your Hormone Levels

Testosterone: What It Is, Function & Levels

Although androgen excess can testosterone gel increase psa levels manifest in many ways, the most common and recognizable symptoms are hirsutism and acne. Acne vulgaris is a multifactorial skin condition of varying severity that affects as many as 90% of all adolescents 2. It is critical that the commonality of these conditions does not lead obstetrician–gynecologists and other health care providers to dismiss them as trivial. In patients with symptoms of androgen excess, the differential diagnosis should include physiologic hyperandrogenism of puberty, idiopathic hyperandrogenism, and PCOS. Other less common potential causes of hyperandrogenism include nonclassic congenital adrenal hyperplasia, androgen-secreting tumors, hypothyroidism, Cushing disease, and severe hyperprolactinemia.

The findings were consistent with an ovarian steroid-cell tumor (SCT) not otherwise specified (NOS), with cystic degeneration. No content on this site, regardless of date, should ever be used as a substitute for direct medical advice from your doctor or other qualified clinician. Getting help for my perimenopausal symptoms and mood swings has been a godsend. To check for PCOS, the doctor may perform an ultrasound of the ovaries and uterus.

Most people think of testosterone as a male hormone, responsible for male characteristics, but did you know that it is an important and often overlooked hormone in women too? Hormone health expert Dr Katie Hodgkinson explains why it’s important, what to look out for and provides diet and lifestyle tips to help support your testosterone levels. High or low T levels in women may indicate an underlying medical condition, such as hirsutism, PCOS, tumors, or CAH. Treatment for patients with acne includes topical antiacne agents, oral antibiotics such as tetracycline, antiandrogens (hormone therapy, including birth control pill) and oral isotretinoin. These can be used successfully in patients with and without hyperandrogenism. Most females with acne/hirsutism have similar levels of hormones to unaffected women. This indicates their acne/hirsutism is not due to disease of the ovary, adrenal gland or pituitary gland.

Compared to postpubescent boys and men, postpubescent girls and women have only modest amounts of testosterone circulating in their bodies. The normal female level for the hormone ranges from 15 nanograms per deciliter of blood (ng/dL) up to 70 ng/dL. Still, the bottom end of the normal male testosterone range is more than four times greater than the upper end of the normal female range. Postpubescent girls and women produce the bulk of their circulating testosterone in their ovaries. Usually, testosterone-related problems in females occur when levels of the hormone rise too high. Potential underlying reasons for heightened testosterone levels in girls and women include premature (precocious) puberty, the presence of a condition called congenital adrenal hyperplasia, and ovarian cancer. This finding is important because most females in ancestral populations would not have exhibited high BMI, at least not in most circumstances (173).

Here’s how to boost your testosterone levels naturally and improve your overall health. However, sometimes testosterone levels can be too high or too low, which may indicate other health issues. Everyone is unique and may experience varying levels of severity of symptoms or different combinations of symptoms. In order to know for sure if high testosterone is causing your symptoms, blood tests are necessary.

If you think that you may be experiencing high testosterone symptoms, consult your health care provider to determine the cause and to start appropriate treatment for your condition. In severe cases, high testosterone levels in women can lead to obesity and infertility. Congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) is a disorder that directly affects the adrenal glands and the production of the body’s hormones. Our Doctors can recommend a care plan for you, based on your symptoms, hormone levels and specific health goals. Excessive alcohol consumption may increase levels of testosterone in premenopausal women, however, research is conflicting.

It’s been found to be more common in some ethnic groups such as people of Hispanic, Mediterranean, Yugoslavian and Ashkenazi Jewish descent. It remains bound to a protein called, sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG). The small amount of testosterone that’s unbound and therefore active, is called freely circulating testosterone (free T). Everyone produces and requires a certain amount of androgen hormones for reproductive development. The difference is just how much testosterone we have based on our sex-at-birth. There are a lot of misconceptions about testosterone being just a “male” hormone.

Too much estrogen can cause your sex drive to drop and your weight to go up, particularly around your waist and hips. You also may experience changes to your periods — with bleeding either lighter or heavier than normal and your cycle’s timing becoming unpredictable. However, testosterone values of over 150 ng/dL in women would require further evaluation for the most serious causes of hyperandrogenism, such as adrenal tumors.

Third, most (about 60%–70%) of studies that quantified musculoskeletal stress marker (MSM) scores (that indicate muscularity) have reported that males exhibited higher MSM scores than females, on average. However, several studies showed opposite sex-related patterns, where females exhibited higher MSM scores than males. For example, MSM scores from skeletons from both Natufian and Neolithic sites in the Levant (8,000–6,000 BC) were higher in females than in males, particularly in muscles attached to the ulna or radius (159). Similarly, using a sample of 185 skeletons from Pecos Pueblo (1,200–1,838 AD) in New Mexico, Chapman (160) reported that females had higher MSM scores in the pectoralis minor, a muscle likely utilized in grinding maize. I’ve struggled with perimenopause symptoms like weight gain, hair loss, acne, and facial hair. But if your testosterone is chronically above what’s considered within normal range, you’ll begin to see certain noticeable symptoms. If you’ve been diagnosed with hyperandrogenism and are taking medication for it, you’ll likely need to see your healthcare provider regularly to make sure your treatment is working.