Bioavailable Testosterone Clia / Cmia / Eclia Blood Serum
What is this test?
Bioavailable Testosterone test is used to measure the amount of bioavailable testosterone in the blood. This test is mainly recommended for men to evaluate a condition known as Andropause.
What are Testosterone and Bioavailable Testosterone?
Testosterone plays an important role in the facilitation of spermatogenesis. Testosterone stimulates the development of secondary sexual characteristics in men like the growth of the body hair, deepening of the voice, enlargement of the penis (sex organ in men), muscle development. In women, testosterone is converted to the main female sex hormone i.e:-Estradiol. Testosterone production is high in the early morning hours from about 4-am to 8-am and low in production from about 4-pm to 8-pm. Production of testosterone is rapidly high at the onset of puberty and starts to drop at the age near to 30. Luteinizing Hormone LH is a pituitary hormone that stimulates and controls the production of testosterone hormone. Secretion of Testosterone into the blood circulation depends on the response of Luteinizing Hormone (LH) and is regulated by a negative feedback mechanism.
Bioavailable testosterone is which is not bound to the SHBG and can be utilized by the body. Testosterone in the body is mostly bound to sex hormone binding globulin, while some of it is weakly bound to albumin and the remaining is free. This free or unbound testosterone is available to tissues.
Why this test is performed?
This test helps in measuring both free testosterone and the testosterone that is bound. The doctor may ask to perform this test if an individual is suffering from symptoms like underdevelopment of muscle in puberty, lack of body hair, enlarged breasts, low energy levels, slow growth of hair, hair loss, loss of bone mass, underdeveloped male genitals (penis), irregular or missed periods, unusual body hair growth in women, heavy vaginal bleeding. The doctor may tell an individual to take this test if he/she is suffering from infertility. If an individual is on the treatment of testosterone medications, then the doctor may ask to perform this test to evaluate and to check the effectiveness of the treatment and testosterone levels in the body. This helps the doctor to rule out the patient disease condition. Generally, when a patient is diagnosed with the testicular dysfunction visits hospital for a general check-up, the doctor may ask to undergo Free Testosterone test which gives a better status of the condition. Mostly, this test is done along with other testosterone tests.
Test Preparation
Inform your doctor if you are on any medications, have any allergies or underlying medical conditions before your Bioavailable Testosterone Clia / Cmia / Eclia Blood Serum. Your doctor will give specific instructions depending on your condition on how to prepare for Bioavailable Testosterone Clia / Cmia / Eclia Blood Serum.
No specific preparation is required for this test.
Understanding your test results
If the test results are in normal range then the individual is having normal production of testosterone and no need for medical intervention.
In case of increased levels in the blood than the normal range then it may be due to early puberty in young men, acne, high libido (hypersexuality), infertility (not getting pregnant), steroid abuse, tumors in testes, decreased sperm count, high blood pressure, high red blood cell count, aggression, treatment with testosterone medications, polycystic ovarian syndrome.
If the levels are lesser than the normal range then it may be due to hypogonadism, testicular failure, pituitary disorders, Klinefelter syndrome (a genetic disorder in which a male is born with an extra copy of the X chromosome), obesity, adrenal cancer, ovarian cancer, high levels of stress, major surgery.
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