How to check testosterone levels

To check your testosterone level, get a blood test for total testosterone taken in the morning, ideally between 7 and 10 a.m., and repeat it on another day if the result comes back low. You can have blood drawn at a lab through your doctor, use a mail-in finger-prick kit, or start with an online clinic that orders the test and reviews it with you. Below is how testosterone testing works, how to time it, what the numbers mean, and what happens if yours is low.

How testosterone testing works

All testosterone tests measure the hormone in a sample of blood. Most testosterone in the blood is bound to proteins, sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) and albumin, and a small share is free. MedlinePlus lists three tests:

• Total testosterone measures bound and free testosterone together. It is the most common test and the one diagnostic cut-offs are based on.
• Free testosterone measures only the unbound form.
• Bioavailable testosterone measures free testosterone plus the part loosely bound to proteins other than SHBG.

Start with total testosterone. The Endocrine Society guideline recommends measuring free testosterone too when total testosterone is near the lower limit of normal or when a condition changes SHBG, using equilibrium dialysis or an accurate formula. Our guide to normal testosterone levels by age explains the ranges.

When to test: timing matters

Testosterone follows a daily rhythm. The AUA guideline says that in men with a normal sleep schedule, levels peak around 3 to 8 a.m., and that in men aged 30 to 40 total testosterone measured at 4 p.m. was 20% to 25% lower than at 8 a.m. Men around 70 saw only a 10% drop, because the rhythm flattens with age. An afternoon test can make a normal level look low, especially if you are young.

Four habits make a result worth trusting:

1. Test in the morning. MedlinePlus says blood is usually drawn between 7 and 10 a.m.
2. Test twice. The AUA makes two early-morning measurements on separate occasions a strong recommendation, because levels vary from one test to the next. If the first is below 300 ng/dL and the second is normal, it leaves a third test to your clinician’s judgment.
3. Use the same lab. The AUA recommends the same laboratory and method for repeat tests, since assays differ.
4. Don’t test while sick. The guideline notes acute illness can push testosterone down; in a small study of young men with respiratory infections, levels fell 10% on average and up to 30% in some groups.

Fasting is the one point where the guidelines differ. The Endocrine Society recommends fasting morning samples. The AUA says the evidence that food changes the result is weak and doesn’t insist on fasting. If you can, fast; some at-home kits require it.

Where to get a testosterone test

At-home kits

Dried blood spot kits have been tested against standard blood draws. In a 2026 study from Amsterdam UMC, 20 healthy volunteers and 56 men on testosterone therapy collected a finger-prick sample at the same time as a regular blood draw, and both were measured by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Results correlated closely in healthy volunteers (r = 0.99) and strongly in men on injected testosterone undecanoate (r = 0.87). But in men using testosterone gel, the finger-prick samples read far higher than their blood, most likely because gel on the skin contaminated the sample. The authors concluded that home sampling is not suitable for gel users and that careful instructions are essential.

Kit instructions matter as much as the lab. Hone Health’s kit, for example, tells you to fast 10 to 12 hours, collect before 10 a.m., keep the blood within the marked area and let the card dry for at least an hour before mailing it. Hone says that if a first result is low, its physicians confirm it with a second kit or a Quest lab draw before prescribing.

Online clinics

Online testosterone clinics usually start with labs. As of October 2026, at the clinics we checked, Hone Health charges $65 (listed at $165) for a 50+ biomarker test with a private physician video consult, Rex MD charges $99 (discounted from $199) for lab work and a consultation with a licensed provider, and TRT Nation charges $129 for labs or accepts your own recent results. Among providers we list, MangoRx includes lab work and provider visits in its $149-a-month compounded testosterone plan. A test like this is useful even if you never start treatment, because it puts a number on your symptoms.

What the number means

The AUA uses a total testosterone below 300 ng/dL as a reasonable cut-off in support of a diagnosis of low testosterone. It is clear that a number alone isn’t a diagnosis: testosterone deficiency requires low levels on two morning tests together with symptoms or signs, such as low sex drive, erectile problems, loss of muscle or unexplained anemia. See symptoms of low testosterone.

Your lab report may disagree with that cut-off. Labs set their own reference ranges, often the 2.5th or 5th to the 95th or 97.5th percentile of a population they sampled, so a result of 250 ng/dL can be flagged normal by the lab and still count as low under the guideline. The AUA tells clinicians to go by the number itself.

The AUA also advises against testing men with no symptoms, signs or related conditions. It does recommend considering a test, even without symptoms, in men with unexplained anemia, bone density loss, diabetes, past chemotherapy or testicular radiation, HIV/AIDS, long-term narcotic or corticosteroid use, infertility or pituitary problems.

If your level is low

A confirmed low result usually leads to more tests, not straight to treatment. The AUA guideline calls for:

• LH (luteinizing hormone) in every man with low testosterone, to see whether the problem starts in the testes or the pituitary.
• Prolactin when LH is low or low-normal.
• Hemoglobin and hematocrit before any testosterone therapy, because testosterone can raise red blood cell counts.
• PSA in men over 40 before starting, to rule out prostate cancer.

The Endocrine Society adds that the cause of low testosterone should be looked for once it is confirmed. FDA labels set the bar for treatment: the Depo-Testosterone label says to confirm hypogonadism with morning testosterone measured on at least two separate days, both below the normal range, and states that safety and efficacy in “age-related hypogonadism” haven’t been established.

What happens next online

Testosterone is a Schedule III controlled substance. Federal law normally requires at least one in-person medical evaluation before a clinician prescribes a controlled substance remotely. A DEA and HHS temporary rule (90 FR 61301) allows prescribing after an audio-video telemedicine visit instead, through Dec 31, 2026. Unless it is extended or replaced, the in-person requirement returns on Jan 1, 2027. Expect a live video visit before any testosterone prescription; our guide to TRT telehealth rules covers the details.

Treatment options include testosterone injections, gels and creams and oral capsules. Some men whose low testosterone starts in the pituitary are offered enclomiphene instead, which prompts the body to make more of its own testosterone; it is compounded and not FDA-approved, and it isn’t a controlled substance. If you are comparing clinics, read how to get TRT online and our look at whether Hone Health is legit.

Testing testosterone in women

Women can have the same blood test. MedlinePlus notes that in women it is mostly used to look for high testosterone, which can come with irregular periods, acne or extra hair growth, as in polycystic ovary syndrome. Women’s normal levels are far lower than men’s, so the 300 ng/dL cut-off doesn’t apply. Our guide to low testosterone in women covers what is known.

The bottom line

Check testosterone with a morning blood test for total testosterone, ideally before 10 a.m., and repeat it on a second morning, at the same lab, if the first is low. A finger-prick kit can work if you follow the instructions, but not if you use testosterone gel. Below 300 ng/dL on two tests, with symptoms, is the usual threshold for a treatment conversation, and further tests such as LH come before any prescription.