Private Testosterone Test: £60, results in 24 hours
Total testosterone on a morning sample, £60
The serum testosterone test, taken in the morning when the level is highest and reviewed by a doctor who reads it against your age, your symptoms and, in women, the signs of raised androgens. Results emailed within 24 hours. No GP referral needed. Have your blood taken at our Kings Heath clinic in Birmingham with no blood-draw fee, at one of 100+ partner clinics across the UK, or at home.
Includes: the test, the lab fee, a doctor’s review of your result and a written report by email, usually within 24 hours, with the next step if the level is low or high. Nothing to pay on the day at the Birmingham clinic.
Book a testosterone test online- No referral needed
- Morning sample advised
- Results in 24 hours
- Doctor-reviewed
- CQC-registered clinic
What a testosterone test checks
Testosterone is the main male sex hormone, made in the testes, and women make a small amount in the ovaries and adrenal glands. In men it drives libido, erections, muscle, bone, mood and energy, and it falls slowly from the thirties, by about one per cent a year. The total testosterone test is the first-line test in UK guidance; if it is low or borderline, SHBG, LH and FSH are added to work out why and to calculate the free (active) fraction. In women the same test is the first check for the raised androgens behind acne, excess hair and irregular periods.
- Total Testosterone the serum testosterone level: all the testosterone in the blood, the two-thirds bound tightly to SHBG, the third loosely bound to albumin and the small free fraction. It is the first-line test in UK guidance for suspected low testosterone in men and for raised androgens in women. It is highest in the morning and falls through the day, which is why the sample is taken before 11am, and a low result is always confirmed on a second morning sample before anything is diagnosed.
When to have one
A testosterone test is worth having if any of these apply:
- Men: low sex drive, difficulty getting or keeping erections, fewer morning erections, low energy, low mood or irritability, loss of muscle or strength, more body fat, or poor concentration: the symptoms of low testosterone (“low T”)
- Men: type 2 diabetes, obesity, sleep apnoea, long-term opioid or steroid use, or a past testicular problem, all of which lower testosterone
- Women: acne, excess facial or body hair, thinning scalp hair, irregular or absent periods, or difficulty conceiving: the signs of raised androgens, most often PCOS
- You are considering testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) and want the baseline test a GP or endocrinologist needs, or you are on TRT and want a level checked
- You use anabolic steroids or testosterone boosters and want to know what they are doing to your own hormone production
- A previous result was low and needs the confirmatory second morning sample before a diagnosis is made
What happens
- Book online for a morning appointment, before 11am, and choose where to have your blood taken: the Kings Heath clinic, a partner clinic near you or a home visit. Pay once; there is nothing to pay on the day.
- Give one small blood sample. It takes a few minutes. Ideally before breakfast, as eating lowers testosterone for a few hours.
- The lab measures total testosterone at a UKAS-accredited laboratory, usually the same day.
- A doctor reviews your result and emails you a written report, usually within 24 hours, placing it against the range for your age and sex, your symptoms and the UK thresholds for low testosterone.
- If something needs following up, the report says what: a repeat morning sample to confirm a low result (always needed before a diagnosis), SHBG, LH, FSH and prolactin to find the cause, or a GP appointment to discuss treatment. We write to your NHS GP with your consent.
How to prepare
- Have the sample taken in the morning, between 7am and 11am. Testosterone peaks early and can be a third lower by late afternoon, so an afternoon result is not reliable for diagnosing low testosterone.
- Ideally before breakfast (water is fine): a meal, especially a sugary one, lowers testosterone for several hours.
- Do not test during or within a few weeks of a significant illness, and avoid a very heavy training session or a night of poor sleep the day before; both lower the level temporarily.
- Tell us about testosterone, anabolic steroids, hCG, SARMs, opioids, steroid tablets or biotin supplements; all affect the result or its interpretation.
Where to have your blood taken
The test, the laboratory and the doctor’s report are the same wherever you live. Only the blood-draw fee differs, and it is charged once per visit however many tests you add.
Want more from the same sample? Add a SHBG (for the free androgen index), LH and FSH or thyroid test and full blood count (the other causes of tiredness) and the blood is taken once, with the multi-test discount applied at checkout.
Normal ranges and what a high result means
| Marker | Typical adult range |
|---|---|
| Men, total testosterone | 8.6 to 29 nmol/L (typical laboratory range) |
| Men, below 8 nmol/L | Low: consistent with testosterone deficiency if confirmed on a second morning sample |
| Men, 8 to 12 nmol/L | Borderline: SHBG is added to calculate the free testosterone before any decision |
| Women, total testosterone | 0.3 to 1.7 nmol/L |
Laboratory ranges differ slightly and your report shows the one used. The men’s thresholds are those of the British Society for Sexual Medicine: a level below 8 nmol/L on two morning samples, with symptoms, usually warrants treatment; 8 to 12 is a grey zone decided on the free testosterone and the symptoms. Levels fall with age, so a 25-year-old and a 65-year-old with the same result are read differently. A woman’s result above the range, with acne, excess hair or irregular periods, points to PCOS or, rarely, an adrenal or ovarian cause.
A single low result in a man is not a diagnosis: about a third of low readings are normal on repeat, which is why guidelines insist on two morning samples. Once confirmed, the next step is to find the cause. LH and FSH show whether the problem is in the testes (high LH and FSH) or in the pituitary signal (low or normal LH and FSH, which also needs prolactin). SHBG turns the total into a free testosterone, the figure that matters when the total is borderline, in obesity, diabetes or older age. In a woman with a raised result, SHBG, LH, FSH, oestradiol and DHEA-S separate PCOS from the rarer adrenal causes. These are the tests we add when a result needs explaining, all bookable at the same clinic:
Questions people ask
What is a normal testosterone level?
For men, most UK laboratories quote roughly 8.6 to 29 nmol/L for a morning sample. The British Society for Sexual Medicine treats a level below 8 nmol/L, on two morning samples and with symptoms, as testosterone deficiency; 8 to 12 is borderline and is decided on the free testosterone (calculated from SHBG) and the symptoms; above 12 is normal. Levels fall by about one per cent a year from the thirties, so age matters. For women the range is about 0.3 to 1.7 nmol/L, and a result above it with acne, excess hair or irregular periods is investigated for PCOS.
What are the symptoms of low testosterone in men?
Low sex drive, difficulty getting or keeping erections and fewer morning erections are the most specific. Less specific are low energy, low mood, irritability, poor concentration, loss of muscle and strength, more belly fat, reduced body hair and, over years, weaker bones. Because the less specific symptoms overlap with depression, poor sleep, an underactive thyroid and anaemia, the test is often paired with a thyroid test and full blood count, and a low result is confirmed on a second morning sample before it is treated.
What causes high testosterone in women?
By far the commonest cause is polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), which raises testosterone modestly and causes acne, excess facial or body hair, thinning scalp hair and irregular periods. Much higher levels, or symptoms that appear quickly, point to the rarer causes, an adrenal or ovarian source, and are investigated with DHEA-S, SHBG, LH, FSH and oestradiol and an ultrasound. Some medicines and anabolic steroids also raise it. The report says which pattern yours fits and what to test next.
What causes high testosterone in men?
In men a high result is usually explained by testosterone replacement, anabolic steroids, testosterone-boosting supplements that contain hormones, or simply a high-normal level in a young man. Rarely it comes from a testicular or adrenal tumour or an inherited condition. A genuinely raised level in a man who is not taking anything is followed up with LH, FSH, oestradiol and an examination, and in steroid users the monitoring panel checks the effects on the liver, blood count, cholesterol and the body’s own hormone production.
Can I boost my testosterone naturally?
Within limits, yes, and the evidence is clearest for the unglamorous things: losing excess weight (fat tissue converts testosterone to oestrogen), sleeping seven hours or more, resistance training, keeping alcohol low and treating sleep apnoea. Each can lift a borderline level into the normal range. Over-the-counter “testosterone boosters” have little evidence behind them, and some contain undeclared hormones that switch off your own production. If a confirmed level is clearly low, lifestyle alone rarely corrects it and treatment is discussed.
Do I need to fast before a testosterone test?
The timing matters more than fasting: have the sample taken between 7am and 11am, when testosterone is at its peak, because an afternoon result can be a third lower and cannot be used to diagnose deficiency. Ideally come before breakfast, as a meal lowers the level for a few hours; water is fine. Take your usual medicines and tell us about any hormone or steroid use.
How much does a private testosterone test cost?
£60 at OneMedicine, which includes the laboratory test, a doctor’s review and a written report by email. There is no blood-draw fee at our Birmingham clinic. At a partner clinic elsewhere in the UK the blood-draw fee is £29, and a home visit in England is £60, charged once per visit however many tests you have. Adding SHBG for the free androgen index is £50 from the same sample.
Are home testosterone test kits accurate?
Finger-prick testosterone kits are less reliable than a venous sample: the level is affected by the time of day and the sample quality, small or haemolysed samples are common, and a result without SHBG, LH and FSH cannot tell you why a level is low. For a question as consequential as whether to start lifelong treatment, the venous morning test with a doctor’s review is the right one. If getting to a clinic is difficult, book a home visit and a phlebotomist takes the sample at your home.
My testosterone is low. Can I get TRT?
First the result is confirmed on a second morning sample, because a third of single low readings are normal on repeat, and SHBG, LH, FSH and prolactin are checked to find the cause and rule out a pituitary problem. Testosterone replacement is considered when the level is clearly low (below 8 nmol/L on both samples, or 8 to 12 with a low free testosterone) and the symptoms fit, after a prostate check, a PSA and a full blood count. The NHS does prescribe TRT on those criteria, usually after an endocrinology opinion; we can give you the complete set of results to take to your GP, or discuss the options at a GP appointment here.
How long do testosterone test results take?
Results are usually emailed within 24 hours of the sample reaching the lab, often the same evening for a sample taken at the Birmingham clinic. Samples from partner clinics and home visits are couriered to the same laboratory and typically take one to two working days.
Read more
- What Are the Signs of Low Testosterone?
- High Testosterone in Men: What It Can Mean
- How Can I Boost My Testosterone Naturally?
- TRT Monitoring: What Blood Tests You Need
- Erectile Dysfunction: What Blood Tests Can Help
OneMedicine, 1 High Street, Kings Heath, Birmingham B14 7AR. Opposite Kings Heath railway station, on-site parking. CQC-registered.
