What is testosterone? Traditionally, testosterone has been referred to as a male hormone, since it is the primary sex hormone and anabolic steroid in males. Testosterone plays an important role in puberty and throughout life for the adult male. That’s not to say that testosterone isn’t important for females. Females also produce testosterone. In fact, testosterone is produced by the ovaries but in a much lesser scale in females not experiencing a testosterone hormonal imbalance.

 

Testosterone’s role in the body can’t be understated. In males it plays an important role in the development of the testes and penis, deepens the voice during puberty, causes the growth of facial hair, increase muscle and bone size and strength, produces sperm, and plays a role in libido [1].

 

Adolescent boys experiencing a testosterone deficiency would fail to undergo the normal physiological changes associated with puberty like penile growth, growth of facial hair, and the deepening of the voice.

 

In females, a lack of testosterone may play a role in a diminished libido, fat mass accumulation, loss of muscle mass, osteopenia (a reduction in bone mass less severe than osteoporosis), and a diminished sense of quality of life [2].

 

Low testosterone in males, referred to as Low T syndrome in popular culture, is associated with fatigue, loss of muscle mass, increased body fat, memory changes, low semen volume, lower sex drive, and a difficulty in achieving and maintaining an erection.

 

Conversely, high testosterone in women have been associated with a deepening of the voice, hirsutism ( excessive male hair growth patterns in females), and conditions like PCOS, polycystic ovary syndrome.

 

Clearly, maintaining a balance in testosterone levels is paramount to good health in both males and females.  While closely monitoring symptoms of testosterone imbalance like fatigue, loss of muscle mass, and difficulty with erection in males, or facial hair growth and the deepening of the voice in females, the most reliable way to assess a hormonal imbalance is through lab work.

 

Lab tests can accurately show what’s going on inside the body and if a hormonal imbalance is a contributing factor to any distressing symptoms. With testosterone testing, there is generally two different methods that a lab can employ: blood and salivary.

 

When testing for testosterone via a blood draw, the serum testosterone or total testosterone is obtained. Total testosterone is the total amount of testosterone found in the blood stream. While this information is helpful, total testosterone doesn’t measure the bioavailability of the hormone.

 

This is because most of the testosterone in the blood stream is bound to two proteins: albumin and sex hormone binding globulin (SHGB) [3]. Testosterone bound to proteins in the blood stream isn’t readily bioavailable. This means that the majority of the testosterone in the blood stream can’t be used readily by the body because it isn’t free to interaction with target organs and tissues. If only testing serum or total testosterone, those who suffer from symptoms of testosterone imbalance could be getting an incomplete picture.

 

This isn’t the case with a salivary testosterone test. Salivary testosterone isn’t bound to any carrier proteins like albumin or sex hormone binding globulin. This means that salivary testosterone can freely interact with target organs and tissues. It is more bioavailable. Therefore salivary concentrations of testosterone more accurately represent the hormone levels that will play an important role in the body’s physiology[4].

 

Another huge draw of salivary testosterone testing is that it is noninvasive. Those who suffer from anxiety or aversion to blood draws can still get much needed information about testosterone levels without being subjected to a needle.

 

With AYUMETRIX, a leading CLIA certified hormones testing laboratory, high quality accurate salivary testosterone testing can be obtained from the comfort of home.

 

Innovative and affordable, AYUMETRIX offers in home salivary testosterone testing to help elucidate the cause of symptoms of testosterone imbalance. With the ease and convenience of in home collection kits, samples can be collected and mailed back to the lab without the need for a blood draw.

 

AYUMETRIX is the forerunner in exceptional hormone testing with hormone tests ranging from salivary testosterone to DHEA and cortisol, as well as many other important hormones. Salivary testosterone testing with AYUMETRIX is accurate, convenient, and meaningful.

 

Those who suffer from testosterone imbalance symptoms, whether two high or too low, would do well to speak to their healthcare provider about salivary testosterone testing through AYUMETRIX.

 

For more information about the difference between serum and salivary testosterone, low testosterone syndrome, the many different and essential roles that testosterone plays in the body, and how testosterone imbalance can adversely affect your health and well-being please visit ayumetrix.com or contact info@ayumetrix.com

 

Candace Mathers, ND

 

 

References

1.    https://www.health.harvard.edu/drugs-and-medications/testosterone--what-it-does-and-doesnt-do

2.    https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11397829/

3.    https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/encyclopedia/content.aspx?ContentTypeID=167&ContentID=testosterone_total

4.    https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28266735/