Benefits of At-Home Hormone Test Kits for Men
Are you the guy who works out regularly and eats healthy but still feels slightly unbalanced or under the weather? Maybe you’re having problems building muscle mass and shedding belly fat or issues in the bedroom. If you attribute these things to getting older, you could be mistaken. Maybe the problem is your hormones.
Sometimes all that’s needed to help you achieve your goals is to get your hormones back in balance. Unfortunately, hormonal imbalances aren’t just for women; many men ignore this fact. You don’t need to schedule an appointment with your doctor and then have blood drawn to see if your hormones are out of wack. At-home hormone test kits for men are available, but do they work?
Why Should I Do a Hormonal Test at Home?
At-home hormone test kits for men have many benefits. Other than the obvious reason of finding out if your hormones are unbalanced, at-home hormone test kits are a great time-saver. They’re delivered straight to your door, so there’s no need to schedule an appointment with your doctor, which could take weeks. You also won’t have to go to a lab to draw blood, wait for the results, or have another doctor’s appointment.
Ordering an at-home hormone kit makes sense for busy guys who don’t have the time to make appointments. Suppose you’re squeamish about needles and having blood drawn; fear not. These at-home kits don’t require a phlebotomist who will stick you with a needle. Instead, the test requires a painless, incredibly small sample, and you can do it in the privacy of your own home.
Who Should Consider a Men’s At-Home Hormone Test Kit?
All men should consider having their hormone levels checked regardless of age. Knowledge is power, and knowing if your hormones aren’t where they’re supposed to be is the first step to being the best you that you can be. Many common men’s health issues could be due to hormonal imbalances, although they are the last thing most guys think of when having a particular issue. Unbalanced hormones could be the culprit of many different symptoms.
Hormonal imbalances in men can present themselves in many different ways. It could be a hormonal issue if you’ve been having physical issues and are having difficulty locating their cause. Hormonal imbalances in men could lead to:
- Unexplained weight gain or loss
- Difficulty building muscle mass
- Difficulty losing belly fat
- Dry skin
- Excessive sweating
- Lethargy and muscle weakness
- Increased or decreased heart rate
- Thinning or brittle hair
- Increased thirst
- Blurred vision
Unbalanced hormones in men can not only affect bodily health, but they can also be the cause of emotional issues. Some common symptoms of hormonal issues in men include:
- Brain fog
- Depression
- Mood swings
- Increased anxiety or irritability
- Difficulties dealing with stress
- Difficulty focusing
- Memory loss
Some sexual issues could also be due to unbalanced hormones.
- Infertility
- Loss or lowered desire for sexual activity
- Difficulty getting or keeping an erection (Erectile dysfunction)
If you’re facing one or more of these symptoms, ordering an at-home hormone test kit could provide valuable insight. If you have a hormonal imbalance, you and your men’s healthcare expert can devise a treatment plan to fix the source of the problem.
What Do At-Home Hormone Test Kits Measure, and What Do the Results Mean?
They’ll test for various hormones and other biomarkers depending on the specific at-home hormone testing kit. Knowing where yours fall can help you make positive changes in your physical, emotional, and sexual health. There are many benefits of at-home hormone test kits for men, and since they don’t require doctor or blood lab visits, there’s no good reason guys wouldn’t take advantage of them.
Although many different hormones and enzymes can be tested, these five most benefit men. They’ll give you all the information you need to determine if your issues are related to easily-corrected imbalances. To get the best and most valuable results, ensure these five biomarkers are included in the test.
Testosterone
Testosterone is probably the one that immediately comes to mind when considering male hormones. While most think of things like sexual desire, erections, and fertility when referring to this hormone, that’s not all it’s responsible for. Building muscle and bone mass, distributing fat, heart health, and red blood production cells are also the responsibility of testosterone.
Low levels of testosterone in men can cause a decrease in sexual desire, erectile dysfunction, and hair loss. Other symptoms of low T can include decreased energy, increased body fat, difficulties with sleep, and emotional issues like mood swings and depression.
Men with higher-than-normal levels of testosterone can lead to increased levels of LDL. High levels of this bad cholesterol can lead to other conditions, such as cardiovascular disease. Other conditions of high testosterone levels include unexplained weight gain, headaches, increased body hair, and an abnormally high sex drive.
Estradiol
Estradiol, the dominant form of estrogen, is important to men’s health. Although usually considered a female hormone, men’s bodies create estradiol naturally when the enzyme aromatase converts testosterone to estradiol. Men don’t need this hormone as much as women, but it does provide much-needed functions. Estradiol plays a huge role in regulating sex drive, erectile function, and the production of sperm.
Men with low estradiol levels can suffer from anxiety, fatigue, depression, and irritability. Other symptoms include weight gain, water retention, sexual dysfunctions, and bone loss.
High estradiol levels in men can cause hot flashes, insomnia, and excessive sweating. In addition, some men with too much estradiol develop gynecomastia, an enlargement of the breast tissue. A lack of energy or mood swings are also common.
Prostate-Specific Antigen
Although not a hormone, many at-home hormone test kits for men check for this protein’s presence. In addition, prostate health should be on the radar for men 40 and older, and testing your PSA (prostate-specific antigen) levels can provide valuable information if your prostate is healthy.
High PSA levels could suggest prostate cancer and, when diagnosed early, can greatly improve survival rates. Therefore, early detection of prostate cancer is vital so that treatment can begin during its earliest stage. Fortunately, since many men will avoid or postpone a digital rectal exam, an at-home hormone testing kit can provide an easier method for detecting high PSA levels.
Sex Hormone Binding Globulin
The sex hormone binding globulin is a protein created in the liver. Its function is to bind together testosterone, estradiol, and dihydrotestosterone so they can be carried through the bloodstream and regulates how much of the hormones your body can use. So testing SHBG levels means understanding how much testosterone is usable in the body, although estradiol is equally important.
Unbalanced levels of SHBG can affect men in several ways and are similar to high or low testosterone or estradiol levels. Some at-home hormone tests don’t screen for SHBG, so ensure your chosen one includes this important biomarker.
Luteinizing Hormone
Just like SHBG, screening for luteinizing hormone isn’t standard with all at-home hormone test kits. Produced in men by the pituitary gland, the importance of LH is in how it binds to the Leydig cells in the testes. Once bound to these cells, it regulates the release of testosterone.
Low testosterone levels in men could be linked to low levels of luteinizing hormone. Therefore, for proper diagnosis of testosterone imbalances in men, the testing of levels of LG is key. This should be of utmost importance for men having difficulty fathering a child.
At What Age Should I Test My Hormones?
Guys experiencing unexplained weight gain or loss, brain fog, hair loss, or problems in the bedroom should test their hormones immediately. If there’s no obvious reason for these conditions, knowing your hormone levels can point you in the right direction for proper treatment. Since hormones control so much of our physical, emotional, and sexual health, it’s a good place to look for answers.
Even if you’re not experiencing specific issues, evaluating your hormones and biomarkers could point out imbalances that could affect various aspects of your life. Once you know your hormonal levels, you can make lifestyle changes to improve them or consider what treatments are available to you.
Young, adult men sometimes experience an unusual drop in testosterone levels that may present themselves differently. Lower testosterone in guys in their younger adult years may experience symptoms that are more common to much older men. It can sometimes be due to the stress of early adulthood or other factors such as a poor diet or a lack of proper rest.
- Guys between the ages of 20 and 39 should have a testosterone level between 400 and 1080 ng/dL.
- Around age 40, it’s normal for men to experience a slight drop in T levels, and they should be within the 350 to 890 ng/dL range.
- After 60 years of age, normal testosterone levels are typically in the 350 to 720 ng/dL range.
How Much Does an At-Home Hormone Test Kit Cost?
Prices for at-home hormone test kits for men can vary. Most fall somewhere between $45 to $250. Reading the fine print to see exactly what you’re paying for is important. Not all kits are similar, and some won’t cover various biomarkers, so pay attention to what you’re getting for your money.
Some tests require a simple saliva sample, but these types only test for testosterone levels. Others will require a blood sample taken with different devices, some a bit more painful than others.
The best at-home hormone test kits will evaluate different hormones and provide accurate results, personalized insights, and recommendations. In addition, the top-of-the-line kits include individual contact with a board-certified practitioner to discuss your results.
The Benefits of At-Home Hormone Test Kits for Men: The Bottom Line
Men looking for answers to specific physical, emotional, or sexual health issues can gain valuable insight by having a hormone test to see if an imbalance is the root cause. Hormones play an important role in numerous functions and can wreak havoc when unbalanced. Rebalancing hormones can help men to regain their mental clarity, lose unwanted pounds, build muscle mass, and stop hair loss. For those with bedroom issues, those can be cured too.
At-home hormone testing kits for men can save time and avoid embarrassing conversations with your doctor. Although no man should be shy about sexual issues when speaking to a men’s healthcare professional, at-home testing kits are a great way to get the ball rolling.