Hormone Panel for Men: Testosterone, DHEA, Cortisol, and More

Quick answer

A full male hormone panel includes total testosterone, free testosterone, SHBG, estradiol, DHEA-S, morning cortisol, prolactin, LH, and FSH. Together, these markers show how much active testosterone your body can use. They show whether a problem starts in the testes or the brain. They also show how stress and aging affect the system.

The core marker: total testosterone

This measures all the testosterone in your blood. Most of it is bound to proteins, and only part of it is active. The standard range in Philippine labs is 264 to 916 ng/dL. The healthy target is 600 to 900 ng/dL for most men under 60.

Timing matters a lot here. Test in the morning, between 7 and 10 AM, when it peaks. An afternoon draw can read 25 to 30% lower. This can make a healthy result look falsely low.

A man with a total testosterone of 320 ng/dL is technically in range. But he would sit in the bottom 10% of men his age. Symptoms are common at the low end of "normal." This includes fatigue, low sex drive, irritability, weight gain, and slow recovery.

SHBG (sex hormone binding globulin)

This is a protein that binds to testosterone in your blood. That bound form is not active. The standard range is 10 to 80 nmol/L. A high SHBG means more of it is locked up and unavailable. A low SHBG means more is free. But it often signals something else is off.

SHBG tends to rise with age, low body fat, an overactive thyroid, and liver disease. It tends to fall with insulin resistance, extra weight, and metabolic syndrome.

Free testosterone

This measures the active, unbound part of your testosterone. Your lab either calculates it, or measures it directly. This is often the most useful single number for matching symptoms. The total number can mislead when SHBG is unusual.

Picture a man with a total testosterone of 450, below the middle of normal, and a high SHBG. His free testosterone could sit in the bottom 5%, with real symptoms. The opposite pattern happens too.

Estradiol (E2)

This measures the main form of estrogen. Men make and need it too. The standard range for men is 10 to 40 pg/mL. The healthy target is 20 to 30 pg/mL.

Your body makes most of its estradiol by converting testosterone in fat tissue. Both very low and very high estradiol cause problems.

• Too low: weaker bones, dry joints, low sex drive, and less heart protection.
• Too high: breast tissue growth, water retention, mood changes, lower SHBG, often paired with more body fat.

DHEA-S

This is a hormone made by your adrenal glands. Your body uses it to build testosterone and estradiol. Levels depend heavily on age. They peak in your 20s. Then they decline steadily. Low DHEA-S in a middle-aged man can point to chronic stress. It can also point to fatigue and slow recovery.

Morning cortisol

This is your main stress hormone. The standard range for an 8 AM draw is 6 to 23 µg/dL. The healthy target is 10 to 18 µg/dL. The pattern matters. It matters as much as the number.

• High morning cortisol: points to recent or ongoing stress.
• Low morning cortisol with fatigue: can point to a stress-response problem. Rarely, it points to adrenal insufficiency, which is worth ruling out.
• A flat pattern through the day: points to chronic stress. A 4-point saliva cortisol test gives a fuller picture of this.

Prolactin

This is a hormone from your pituitary gland. When it runs high in men, it can lower testosterone. The standard range is under 15 ng/mL. High prolactin is an easily missed cause of low testosterone. It is often fixable. Causes include certain medicines, a rare pituitary growth, or stress.

LH and FSH

These are signals from your pituitary gland. They tell your testes to make hormones. The standard range for LH is 1.7 to 8.6 IU/L. The standard range for FSH is 1.5 to 12.4 IU/L. These two numbers help tell apart two problems. A testicular problem raises LH and FSH. A pituitary or brain-signal problem keeps LH and FSH low or low-normal.

This difference changes how your doctor works up and treats the issue.

Common male hormone patterns

Pattern 1: A testicular problem

Low total and free testosterone. High LH and FSH. Causes include genetics, infection, injury, medicine, or age-related decline.

Pattern 2: A pituitary or brain-signal problem

Low total and free testosterone. Low or low-normal LH and FSH. Often tied to extra weight, sleep apnea, opioid use, or chronic stress. Often fixable with weight loss and lifestyle change.

Pattern 3: High SHBG driving low free testosterone

Total testosterone in the low-normal range. High SHBG. Free testosterone in a low percentile. Real symptoms despite a "normal" total number.

Pattern 4: High conversion to estradiol

Total testosterone close to normal. Estradiol high relative to testosterone. Often paired with belly fat, breast tissue growth, and water retention.

Pattern 5: Stress-driven pattern

Cortisol pattern is off, either high or flat. DHEA-S low compared to cortisol. Testosterone low-normal. Common with poor sleep, overtraining, or burnout.

When men should test

Beyond a yearly baseline, consider a hormone panel if you have:

• Ongoing fatigue that sleep does not fix.
• Low sex drive or trouble with erections.
• Losing muscle or strength despite training.
• Growing belly fat.
• Mood changes, like irritability or low mood.
• Trouble recovering from workouts.
• Brain fog or memory trouble.
• A family history of low testosterone or related conditions.

Are you a man over 35 with one or more of these signs? A hormone panel often tells you more than another routine blood pressure check.

Lifestyle changes that move male hormones

Most men with lifestyle-driven low testosterone can shift their numbers a lot. Often by 15 to 30%. Here is how:

• Sleep. Aim for 7 to 8 hours of good sleep. Your body makes most of its testosterone overnight.
• Resistance training. Lift weights, progressively heavier, 2 to 4 times a week.
• Body composition. Losing fat around your organs lowers the conversion of testosterone into estradiol.
• Stress management. Chronic stress cuts LH and lowers testosterone.
• Nutrition. Get enough protein, healthy fats, zinc, vitamin D, and magnesium.
• Alcohol. Moderate to heavy drinking lowers testosterone.

Certain medicines, including opioids, some antidepressants, and some blood pressure drugs, can lower testosterone too. This is worth reviewing with your doctor.

When testosterone therapy makes sense

Testosterone therapy can make sense for men who have:

• Confirmed low testosterone on two separate morning tests.
• Clear symptoms.
• A cause that lifestyle changes cannot easily reverse.
• No conditions that rule it out, like uncontrolled prostate cancer, severe heart failure, or untreated sleep apnea.

This is not a casual decision. It often lowers your body's own testosterone production. It needs ongoing checks of markers like PSA, red blood cell count, and estradiol. It may affect fertility too. This decision belongs with a qualified doctor.

How a &you Labs report handles this

A &you Labs panel for men looks at your hormones more fully than testosterone alone. Every result comes with the standard lab range and the healthy target range side by side. A doctor's written interpretation covers any patterns across your markers.

Frequently asked questions

What time of day should I test testosterone?

Between 7 and 10 AM. Testosterone follows a daily rhythm and peaks in the morning. Afternoon draws often produce lower values. This can wrongly label a healthy man as "low normal."

Should I fast before the test?

Fasting matters for the broader panel, like glucose, insulin, and cholesterol. It is not strictly needed for hormones alone. Most labs combine all the draws. So fasting becomes the practical default anyway.

What counts as "low normal" testosterone?

Standard ranges call anything above 264 ng/dL "normal." The healthy target sits at 600 to 900 ng/dL for men under 60. The middle of the standard range, 450 to 600, is a common zone for real symptoms in daily practice.

Can I raise low testosterone naturally?

Often, yes, especially when lifestyle is driving it. Better sleep, weight loss, and resistance training can help. So can stress management and fixing nutrient gaps like vitamin D, zinc, and magnesium. These steps can raise testosterone a lot, over 12 to 24 weeks. Testosterone therapy makes more sense when these steps are not enough, or the cause runs deeper.

Will testosterone therapy shrink my testicles?

Yes. Testosterone from outside your body lowers LH and FSH. This reduces testicular activity over time. Some treatment plans add another medicine to help maintain testicular function. This matters most for men who want to preserve fertility.

Key takeaways

• A full male hormone panel goes far beyond total testosterone. It adds free testosterone, SHBG, estradiol, prolactin, LH, FSH, DHEA-S, and cortisol.
• Test in the morning. Afternoon draws often mislabel healthy men as low normal.
• Low free testosterone with high SHBG is a common pattern that is easy to miss.
• Most lifestyle-driven low testosterone can be fixed. Testosterone therapy is for confirmed cases that cannot.
• Symptoms matter. A "normal" testosterone at the low end of the range, with real symptoms, is still worth acting on.