Male Sex Hormones, Part 1

Total and Free Testosterone, SHBG, DHT, and Estradiol

Testosterone is the defining male sex hormone (androgen), and together with its metabolites dihydrotestosterone (DHT) and estradiol (E2), mediate the majority of male sexual characteristics.

This post will provide an overview of the functions of these hormones, although we’ll plan on going on a deeper dive into each of these specific hormones in future posts. We’ll also cover some of the reasoning behind

Reference ranges

First, let’s talk about reference ranges for each of these hormones.

Many of you have seen my prior “infographic” on my suggested reference ranges for each of these hormones (which are different from the ranges typically listed on lab reports). My reasoning for this: at *worst*, I want my patients to be average.