How to Check Testosterone Levels

Testosterone is present in both men and women. It is our bodies' main androgenic/anabolic steroid hormone. It is mainly made in women's ovaries and men's testicles but both sexes also produce some in their adrenal glands. Testosterone affects sexual development, muscles and bone mass, the brain, fat distribution, genital tissues, energy levels and the vascular system. Here's how to check testosterone levels.

Things You'll Need

• Appointment for a testosterone test

Instructions

1. Find out whether your health insurance will cover a testosterone test. Your doctor needs to order it.

2. Consider taking the testosterone test in the morning when your levels are the highest.

3. Sit as the doctor or nurse wraps an elastic band around the upper part of your arm. This will stop the blood from flowing and cause the veins in the mid- to lower arm to enlarge, making it easier to insert a needle.

4. Expect the nurse to wipe your skin with an alcohol swab to clean it. She will then insert the needle into your vein to collect blood.

5. Watch as blood collects into the tube attached to the needle. Once there's enough, the nurse will remove the needle and take the band off your arm.

6. Hold a a gauze pad over the site to stop the bleeding, applying pressure.

7. Wait a day or two to obtain the test results from the laboratory. Normal testosterone levels vary based on your sex and age.

References

• Kidshealth.org
• Harvard University