I have a physical coming up soon and wanted to get my T checked along with whatever blood work is done for the general health panel they do. I’m 19 and don’t suspect I have low T or anything like that but just wanted to see what it was. Im 99% certain that this test will NOT be covered by my insurance so I was wondering what the most cost effective way of doing this would be.
If I’m gonna test my T would it also make sense to test estradiol? Reading around it seems as though a highish T level doesn’t matter unless E2 is in check.
I have a family history of thyroid issues and didn’t know if it would be worth getting the tests done if I’m not showing any symptoms of anything being wrong with this. Wouldn’t my T reflect hypo/hyperthyroidism? Or am I stupid for even thinking this?
I found www.anylabtestnow.com and it seems like a somewhat affordable way to get the tests done? Anyone have any experience with them?
I don’t have experience with the one you mention, but a lot of guys here use www.privatemdlabs.com for cheap testing
I think it is an excellent idea for a young man to get a hormone baseline…I’d kill to have that information available to me now…
Yes to E2…
T-levels will not necessarily indicate a thyroid issue…if costs are an issue, get TSH only, but would be best to get Free T3 and Free T4 along with that…a thyroid panel would probably include those anyway, so the point is probably moot.
Just to double check, these are the labs I should order?
There are about 5 different tests pertaining to Testosterone. I’m not quite sure which to get. Instincts tell me to get one that tests both free and total T. Here are the options:
Testosterone (Free) , Serum (Equilibrium Ultrafiltration) With Total Testosterone
Testosterone, Free (Direct) With Total Testosterone, LC/MS-MS
Testosterone, Free (Direct), Serum With Total Testosterone
There is also the option to only test free or total.
The one you may want is the Hormone Panel for Females w/Estradiol, LCMS…at some point in the process you have the option to select that you are a male (cant remember if its on the website or at the lab when you take your order in)…this will give you a full panel of your steroid hormones, then you would add your thyroid panel on top of it (not sure why its not combined)…
Some guys here have used this method…if they want to confirm the exact test, it would be appreciated…I’ve been meaning to capture that in the bloodtest stickey, but have not yet done so (I don’t think, you may want to peruse it to see if someone else has)…
If you go with them individually, be sure to email them and ask the range for the Estradiol (the one you posted) versus the Estradiol Sensitive test…you want the one that has something like 13-54 as the range, not the one that is <=29…
You’re right. It’s cheaper yet to get the Female Hormone Testing Panel and simply purchase the Thyroid Panel (TSH, Free T3, Free T4) also.
Are you sure that the Testosterone test under the Female Hormone Testing Panel is the right one? Should I make sure that it includes both Free and Total?
If you say that numerous other people on this board have used this method it probably is the right T test…
I know they have used the womens one, but i dont know which one of the womens one…but yeah it works out…im sure someone here will respond…you could probably run a search and find the threads too and PM the OP
you should email them and ask them the difference, specifically what are the ranges? If you do that and post, I can tell you which one is appropriate…you want the one that corresponds to the 4021x from Quest
I tried calling today but they were closed (New Years Day I guess). I PM’d a guy here I think will know the answer. I’m somewhat certain its the cheaper of the two tests but I will post back here which one it is.
If anyone is thinking of ordering from privatemdlabs.com use the coupon code healthy12. It gave me 16 bucks off a $138 order (whatever this works out to haha).