As part of the work for my new upcoming Hormone Plan, I have reviewed and researched the best tests for male health currently (IMHO) and updated the Men’s Health Tests page for you. These are constantly under review and updated as new info and tests come out so do check back regularly.
The core tests are either the Omnos Sex Hormone Complete panel for all the main markers needed to see what’s going on in hormones conditions including LH, FSH, SHBG, Testosterone Total and Free, DHEA-S, PSA, Prolactin, cholesterol, Vitamin D, thyroid markers and more.
Or, for a more comprehensive male health screen, use the Wellness 360 Male test which has 50+ markers looking at overall health plus the hormones. You can get those on the shop or by following those links. Those links will also take you to the sample reports and collection instructions.
These are both blood tests and the reason is that we want to look at both bound and free levels of hormones, especially of testosterone, plus LH, FSH etc, which you are not going to get with saliva or urine. Saliva and urine are good for free hormones and cortisol.
Some useful additions…
Male pattern baldness? PSA high? Low testosterone symptoms like erectile dysfunction, low libido etc, but levels look fine on tests? These could all be influenced by making too much DHT – dihydrotestosterone? This is the strongest, most androgenic androgen type and may be great – lots of energy, strength etc, but does leave you vulnerable to male pattern baldness and proliferative conditions like prostate problems, plus it can downregulate testosterone receptors which causes low testosterone symptoms. I’ve included a DHT blood test in case.
The main things that can affect testes health are inflammation and oxidative stress as the testicular cells and barrier are very vulnerable to those. So, if your LH level is high or low, inflammation and oxidative stress can be a major cause. We also know that inflammation rockets as testosterone itself drops. That might be from middle age onwards or due to an inflammatory condition like coeliac disease etc. Get your hsCRP and/or ESR checked. Your doctor can do those, or see the Inflammation tests here. To test oxidative stress, do the urinary Genova Oxidative Stress test – you can order here on the shop or direct with Genova using my code A42RS.
If you suspect a high level of endocrine disruptor chemicals or toxins in your system – especially important in testicular cells and barrier, if you are sensitive to chemicals, don’t detox stuff well or are at risk or suffering from proliferative-type hormone conditions like prostate enlargement or cancer, then test for key chemicals and EDCs, including glyphosate pesticide. Cyrex 11 also tests to see if you are immunologically reacting to them. If one comes up quite high, look for the source of it and eliminate. If lots come up higher than they should be, it is more likely that you’re not clearing chemicals well enough, so deal with that.
Insulin and blood sugar control is another massive factor for some men in balancing their hormones and health. The HBA1c diabetes marker is included in the Wellness 360 core test above, but for a proper look at glucose and pre-diabetes markers, see the Metabolic test here. Even better, do the Cardiometabolic test there to check heart health too. After 45 or so, keep an eye on cardiovascular and brain health particularly.
Bone/Osteoporosis: People think of this as a female problem but up to 30% of hip fractures are in older men, actually, so don’t ignore this. You can read more about osteoporosis in men here. Check if you are resorbing bone so that you can catch and correct any osteoporosis risk early, especially post 50. Get your GP to do a regular DEXA bone scan, but also check bone resorption markers like DPD, which will show if you are losing bone much earlier – you have to have lost quite a bit before it shows on a scan – a bit late then, I always think! I’ve added urinary DPD (deoxypyridinoline) onto the shop for you. If you need something more comprehensive, Colab do several Osteoporosis screens, but they are a lot more costly – ask me to confirm prices if you need this. You can read more about DPD here – this is an old Genova test interp – sadly, they discontinued the test because very few people did it!
Finally, if you have a family history of hormone problems or a hormone issue is not improving, it can be a good idea to check your hormone genetic patterns. It will likely answer some questions and may give you an idea of what pathways and systems need specific support if there is a genetic weakness or over-expression going on, for example converting too much testosterone and precursors to oestrogen. Check the Genetics page out here – the Lifecode Gx Hormone report would be the most useful.