How to test your testosterone levels, step by step

Testing your testosterone takes one blood draw. The choices that matter are which test to order, when to have the blood taken and what to do with the number. This page walks through each step in order.

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.

Step 1: Pick the test

Total testosterone measures all the testosterone in your blood. Free testosterone measures only the unbound portion. MedlinePlus calls total the most common test and free the less common one.

The Endocrine Society guideline recommends adding free testosterone when total testosterone is at or near the lower limit of the normal range, or when a condition changes SHBG. Obesity, diabetes, hypothyroidism, aging, and liver conditions such as cirrhosis are on its list.

So there are two sensible starts:

• Total testosterone alone, if you want a baseline and have no reason to think SHBG is off.
• Free and total testosterone, if your total was borderline or you already know a condition affects SHBG. It gives both numbers on one order. If you already have total and SHBG results, you can enter both in the free testosterone calculator. The guideline accepts calculating free testosterone by formula when equilibrium dialysis is not available.

The test finder can help you choose, and free vs total testosterone explains the difference.

• Total testosteroneThe usual starting point $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.

Step 2: Plan a morning draw

Testosterone is typically highest in the morning. MedlinePlus says providers take the sample between 7 and 10 a.m. for this reason. The Endocrine Society guideline says to measure on two separate mornings to confirm a low result, because levels vary from day to day.

Book the earliest slot you can manage. See best time to test for the sources.

Step 3: Prepare

• Fasting. The guideline recommends morning samples after an overnight fast, because food and glucose can lower testosterone. The seller’s pages for the standalone tests say fasting is not required, but that is shared wording on its pages. Follow your lab order. See do you need to fast.
• Medicines. Tell your provider or the lab about everything you take, and don’t stop a medicine unless your prescriber says to.
• Biotin. The guideline notes that biotin interferes with some immunoassays. Mention biotin supplements before the draw.
• Illness. Acute illness and some medicines, such as opioids, can lower testosterone. The guideline advises against testing during those periods.

If you are on testosterone therapy, ask your prescriber when in your dosing cycle they want the sample taken. This page can’t answer that.

Step 4: Order and get the requisition

You order online and pay. You then receive a requisition to take to a draw site. The seller’s page says the test needs a simple blood draw, with no urine sample, swab or physical exam. These tests are not available in every state, so check where testing is unavailable first. How walk-in lab testing works covers the process in more detail, and HSA and FSA covers payment.

Step 5: Have the sample taken

At the draw site, a health professional takes a blood sample from a vein in your arm with a small needle. MedlinePlus says you may feel a sting and that the draw usually takes less than five minutes. Risks are small, mainly some pain or bruising at the site.

For the standalone testosterone tests, the seller’s page says most results appear in your online account within one to three business days. See results timing.

Step 6: Read the result

Look at three things on the report.

1. The unit. Total testosterone is commonly reported in ng/dL or nmol/L. The Endocrine Society guideline, for example, gives 264 ng/dL as 9.2 nmol/L. A catalog from one reference laboratory reports free testosterone in ng/dL, while the guideline quotes a free testosterone value in pg/mL. Compare like with like.
2. The reference range. It is printed on your report and differs between labs. The guideline reports 1,133 laboratories measuring one sample between 45 and 365 ng/dL. See testosterone levels by age for published ranges.
3. The test name. “Total,” “free” and “bioavailable” are different measurements. See test names on lab orders.

A result is information, not a diagnosis. MedlinePlus says a testosterone test alone can’t diagnose a condition. The guideline calls for symptoms and consistently low results.

After the first result

• If your result is in range and you have no symptoms, there may be nothing more to do.
• If it is low, repeat it on another morning. The guideline notes about 30 percent of men with an initial low result had a normal repeat. See retesting.
• If you have symptoms, see a clinician whatever the number is. MedlinePlus lists low sex drive, erectile dysfunction, enlarged breasts, loss of body hair and loss of muscle mass among them.
• If you want a free testosterone estimate from existing results, use the free testosterone calculator. It is an estimate, not a lab result.