Male hormone panels compared: Basic, Standard and Comprehensive

A “male hormone panel” sounds like a deeper look at your testosterone. Mostly it is not. The Basic and Standard panels measure total testosterone only, which is also what a total testosterone test measures, and then add general health markers such as kidney, liver, blood count, cholesterol and thyroid tests.

That can be useful if you want those markers. It is a poor buy if you only want to know about testosterone.

Total testosterone

The lowest-priced test here that gives you a testosterone number.

$49

See this test at HealthLabs

Price checked October 2026. Not available in ND, RI, NY, NJ, MD and HI. We earn a commission on sales.

What each panel includes

This table follows the seller’s own pages for each panel, checked 31 October 2026. “Not listed” means the seller’s page does not list it for that panel.

	Basic	Standard	Comprehensive
Total testosterone	Yes	Yes	Yes
Free testosterone	Not listed	Not listed	Not listed
Estradiol (sensitive)	Not listed	Yes	Yes
IGF-1	Yes	Yes	Yes
Growth hormone	Not listed	Yes	Yes
DHEA sulfate	Not listed	Not listed	Yes
Comprehensive metabolic panel (CMP)	Yes	Yes	Yes
Complete blood count (CBC)	Yes	Yes	Yes
Lipid panel	Yes	Yes	Yes
Thyroid panel	Yes	Yes	Yes
Uric acid	Yes	Yes	Yes
Hemoglobin A1c	Not listed	Not listed	Yes
High-sensitivity C-reactive protein	Not listed	Not listed	Yes
Vitamin B12, folate, homocysteine	Not listed	Not listed	Yes
Fasting, per the seller	Required	Required	Required (see below)

Notes on the table:

• Standard is Basic plus two tests: growth hormone and estradiol.
• Comprehensive is Standard plus DHEA sulfate, hemoglobin A1c, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, vitamin B12, folate and homocysteine. The seller’s page refers back to the Standard panel instead of listing everything again, and also lists ALT separately even though the metabolic panel already includes it.
• The thyroid panel is listed as T3 uptake, total T4 and a free thyroxine index. No TSH is listed.
• Free testosterone is in none of the three. All three list total testosterone only.
• The estradiol test is called “sensitive” in one place and “ultrasensitive” in another on the seller’s Standard page. We treat it as one test.

Pick by what you want to check

Tick the markers you want. The list narrows to the tests that cover all of them, cheapest first, with prices and the date they were checked. It includes single tests as well as panels, so you can see whether one smaller test does the job.

One of the tests in this list is a testosterone maintenance panel (free and total testosterone, estradiol, CBC and CMP). The seller recommends it for adults who are on testosterone therapy. If you are not, you do not need to choose it just because it appears when you tick free testosterone and estradiol. The free and total testosterone test and a separate estradiol test cover those two.

When a single test is enough

Start from the question you want answered.

• “Is my testosterone low?” The Endocrine Society guideline names a fasting morning total testosterone measurement as the initial test, and recommends repeating it to confirm. A single total testosterone test is that measurement. See the testosterone test guide.
• “I want free testosterone too.” The free and total test gives both numbers on one order. The guideline recommends free testosterone when total testosterone is near the lower limit of normal or when a condition changes SHBG. If you already have total and SHBG results, the free testosterone calculator estimates free testosterone from them, and the guideline accepts calculating it by formula when equilibrium dialysis is not available. See free vs total testosterone.
• “I want to look into one hormone.” There are separate tests for SHBG, LH and FSH, prolactin, estradiol, DHT, IGF-1 and DHEA and DHEA-S.
• “A clinician already ran general bloodwork.” Ask whether a metabolic panel, blood count or lipid panel needs repeating before you pay for them again.

• Total testosteroneTotal testosterone only $49 See this test at HealthLabs
• Free testosteroneFree testosterone only $59 See this test at HealthLabs
• Free and total testosteroneBoth numbers on one order $99 See this test at HealthLabs

Sold by HealthLabs. Prices checked October 2026. Not available in ND, RI, NY, NJ, MD and HI. We earn a commission on sales.

If you are not sure, the test finder asks a few questions and points to the lowest-priced test that fits.

When a panel can make sense

A panel can make sense if you want several of its general markers anyway and prefer one fasting blood draw to several orders. Check the prices in the picker above against the single tests you would otherwise buy. Panels are not an upgrade on the testosterone result itself.

What the extra markers are

These are the other tests in the panels, described here as MedlinePlus describes them. A panel result is a set of numbers to review with a clinician, not a diagnosis.

• Comprehensive metabolic panel: a routine blood test that gives information about liver and kidney health, blood glucose, protein levels and fluid and electrolyte balance.
• Complete blood count: measures red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets, hemoglobin and hematocrit.
• Lipid panel: measures total cholesterol, LDL, HDL and triglycerides, which give information about the risk of heart disease.
• Uric acid: used mainly to help diagnose gout and to monitor uric acid in some cancer treatments.
• DHEA sulfate: most often used to find out whether the adrenal glands are working well and to help diagnose some adrenal tumors and some disorders of the testicles or ovaries.
• Estradiol: in men, estrogen tests may be used to see whether too much estrogen is causing conditions such as breast enlargement. MedlinePlus notes that estrogen levels in males do not change much over a lifetime.
• Growth hormone: MedlinePlus says growth hormone levels in blood change through the day, so a standard blood test does not usually give helpful information about them, and that growth hormone testing is not common in adults. It also says IGF-1 stays more stable through the day and is a reliable way to track growth hormone. IGF-1 is in all three panels. If you are curious why a clinician might order growth hormone, ask.

How to prepare

The seller’s pages for all three panels say fasting is required, with water allowed. The Basic and Standard pages say at least 8 hours. The Comprehensive page gives two durations in two places: at least 8 hours in one and 9 to 12 hours in the other. Follow the instructions on your lab order, and ask the lab if the two do not match.

For the Comprehensive panel, the seller’s page also says to stop biotin supplements for at least 48 hours before testing. MedlinePlus says to tell your provider about everything you take, and not to stop any medicine unless your provider tells you to.

MedlinePlus says testosterone blood is usually drawn in the morning, between 7 and 10, when levels are typically highest. See the best time to test and fasting.

What a panel cannot tell you

• It cannot diagnose low testosterone. MedlinePlus says a testosterone test alone cannot diagnose any condition. The Endocrine Society guideline recommends diagnosing only when symptoms and signs fit and results are unequivocally and consistently low. See retesting.
• It does not look at everything. None of the three panels lists free testosterone, LH, FSH, SHBG or prolactin.
• A result outside a lab’s range is a reason to talk with a clinician. It is not a diagnosis. Take the printed range with you. Labs differ.