A healthy testosterone level will vary between people based on factors such as age and sex. The best time to have the test is in the morning when testosterone levels in the blood are usually highest. In males, this testosterone excess can also decrease the amount of sperm the body makes, which may lead to infertility or loss of sex drive. Typical levels vary depending on age, sex, and health. Adult males typically have between 265 and 923 nanograms per deciliter of testosterone (ng/dL) in their blood, while adult females have far less. The testes produces less testosterone, there are fewer signals from the pituitary telling the testes to make testosterone. In recent years, researchers (and pharmaceutical companies) have focused on the effects of testosterone deficiency, especially among men. The ovaries of women with PCOS contain multiple cysts. But there are ranges over a lifetime by which testosterone levels are measured and compared at any age. At this time there are no age-specific testosterone reference ranges for males or females. In some cases, low testosterone in females may also be caused by low estrogen or menopause, as there’s some overlap in the symptoms. For example, after age 30 years, a male’s testosterone levels, on average, decrease by 1% per year but can be as much as 2% per year. For males under age 45 years, a testosterone test is usually performed in the morning when T levels are highest. Read on to learn more about testosterone, typical levels for males and females, and what a high or low testosterone test result may mean. Estrogen levels also rise during a healthy pregnancy. Lower levels of estrogen may also increase your risk for heart disease and osteoporosis. Women and people AFAB with low body fat often do not make enough of the sex hormones. Although testosterone may make prostate cancer grow, it is not clear that testosterone treatment actually causes cancer. Men taking testosterone replacement must be carefully monitored for prostate cancer. For example, a man with osteoporosis and low testosterone can increase bone strength and reduce his fracture risk with testosterone replacement. All of this reduces the active (free) form of testosterone in the body. One reason lab conversations around TRT become confusing is that testosterone values are not independent of timing. In younger men, some authors have argued that a one-size-fits-all cutoff may miss clinically relevant low values when symptoms are present. It does mean that physiologic replacement should look physiologic, not pharmacologic enhancement (Travison et al., Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, 2017). Your adrenal glands also produce the hormone dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), which your body transforms into testosterone and estrogen. Testosterone levels are naturally much higher in males. If you experience any of these symptoms, you might start addressing the issue by asking your doctor, "What is a good testosterone level for a man my age? " or " What is the average testosterone level for a male aged 50? Because the adequate level varies by age, doctors commonly get questions from patients, like "What should a 40-year-old male’s testosterone level be? What’s involved in the assessment of testosterone levels?
