Testosterone Levels by Age: Normal Levels for Males and Females

Normal Testosterone Levels In Men And Women By Age

Testosterone levels are at their lowest points in women during puberty and adolescence, and at their highest during the pre and post-menopausal periods. That is why low levels during menopause can cause such distressing symptoms. Since women naturally create much lower levels of testosterone, they are more sensitive to changes in androgens than men. Free testosterone levels under 1.5 pg/mL for those under age 50, and below 1.0 pg/mL for the over 50 female are also indicative of Low T. Just as with men, determining what is considered to be an acceptable testosterone level in women is often complicated. The wide range of fluctuation in normal testing levels makes it difficult to set an ideal number.

When a patient of mine decides to stop taking testosterone, it is rarely because of side effects and almost always because it simply isn’t working for her. Unlike with estrogen, needle size for injecting testosterone which blood levels are rarely required, testosterone therapy requires being tested to make sure yours is in the right range. Hormonal balance is crucial for women’s health, with testosterone and estrogen playing key roles in reproductive health, bone density, brain function, cardiovascular health, mood, and sexual function.

Read more about testosterone’s role and effects for an amplified understanding of exactly how much the hormone affects a woman’s body. Many of the above-mentioned effects occur throughout life no matter a woman’s reproductive stage. There are different preparations available, such as creams and patches. Many health care providers use the testosterone preparations on the market approved for use in men — but at one-tenth of the dose. In general, testosterone from compounding pharmacies is overall discouraged or at least should be carefully and only cautiously considered. There can be significant batch to batch variation in the amount of the active drug. Therefore, it’s possible to receive a lower dose, or worse still, a higher dose than intended.

The testosterone levels in the blood serum were checked through a chemiluminescence microparticle immunoassay technique (Abbott-Alinity Ci) within 30 min of exercise and 24 h after exercise. This assessment was blinded, as the assessor (a lab technologist) did not know about allocating patients into groups or the intervention given to patients. These readings were taken at the beginning of the intervention on the 4th, 14th, and 24th days of the menstrual cycle for all participants. The second set of readings occurred during the program’s 6th to 8th week (mid-intervention), again on the 4th, 14th, and 24th days of the menstrual cycle. The final set of readings occurred during the study’s 14th to 16th week (post-intervention).

Symptoms of high testosterone levels in females can include acne, unwanted hair growth (hirsutism), and menstrual irregularities. It is important for women with high levels to consult with a healthcare professional for further evaluation and management. Several factors can influence free testosterone levels in females, including age, hormonal disorders (such as polycystic ovary syndrome), use of certain medications, and underlying medical conditions. Stress, obesity, and lifestyle factors like exercise and diet can also impact testosterone levels.

On average, postmenopausal women have testosterone levels between 2.5 and 45 ng/dL. In premenopausal women, testosterone levels are generally at their highest in the early morning and decline gradually throughout the day. On average, premenopausal women have testosterone levels between 15 and 70 ng/dL (nanograms per deciliter). Some of the participants stated that they had growth of hair on the back due to increased testosterone levels after exercise. Testosterone plays a key role in skeletal muscle development and maintenance.

Scientific research has shown that free testosterone levels in females do indeed decrease with age. A study published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism found that free testosterone concentrations decline progressively starting from the early reproductive years in women. The researchers measured free testosterone levels in over 3,000 women aged 20 to 79 and found that there was a significant decline in free testosterone concentrations across all age groups. This decline was observed even after accounting for factors such as body mass index and hormonal contraceptive use. Testosterone is a hormone that plays a significant role in the development and maintenance of sexual characteristics in both males and females.

Your healthcare provider can help you determine which formulation of testosterone is most suitable for you. This article will provide an overview of testosterone in women and what to do if your level is too high or too low. Depending on which lab performs your testosterone test, normal values may vary slightly from these. Lower levels of estrogen may also increase your risk for heart disease and osteoporosis.

Women who have had their ovaries removed have lower testosterone levels than those who have still their ovaries, even after menopause. Another medical condition that can contribute to low testosterone levels in women is hypopituitarism. This condition occurs when the pituitary gland in the brain does not produce enough hormones, including testosterone. Hypopituitarism can be caused by several factors, including tumors, head injuries, and genetic disorders. Low testosterone levels in women with hypopituitarism can lead to fatigue, weight gain, and difficulty concentrating. The decline in testosterone levels in women can have a number of effects on their bodies.

To do so, we prospectively collected blood from healthy trans men receiving gender-affirming hormone therapy (GAHT) with testosterone (Figure 2A). Successful treatment with testosterone was confirmed by measuring significantly increased serum testosterone levels 3 months (3M) and 6M after the start of GAHT compared with baseline levels (BL) (Figure 2B). Validating the biological effects of testosterone on hematopoietic cells and in accordance with previously published data (22), we observed significant increases in hemoglobin, hematocrit, and RBC count (Figure 2C). In order to investigate the effect of testosterone on human T cells in vivo in more detail, we performed Cellular Indexing of Transcriptomes and Epitopes by Sequencing (CITE-Seq) on PBMCs at BL and the 6M time point. T cells sorted by FACS from 4 trans men were used for sequencing, combining 40,930 cells that were assigned to 15 T cell clusters by differentially expressed genes and surface markers (Figure 2, D and E). Six clusters were identified as CD8+ T cells, including γδ T, γδ TCYTOTOXIC, MAIT, CD8+ TNAIVE, CD8+ effector memory T (Tem), and CD8+ effector memory reexpressing CD45RA (Temra) cells.