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Compare Testosterone Tests: Total, Free and Bioavailable
A testosterone test measures the hormone in your blood. Total testosterone counts all of it; free and bioavailable testosterone show the part your body can use. Compare our five testosterone blood tests by what they report, how they measure it and price, from $69. Each is a private lab test run by Quest Diagnostics.
3,200+ verified reviews
Which testosterone test fits you?
5 tests · swipe to compare
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$55
Choose it when You only need a lower-cost total testosterone check, and an immunoassay is precise enough for that.What you get Total testosterone (men)Method Immunoassay -
$62
Choose it when You track total testosterone over time and want the precise LC/MS/MS method without the free fraction.What you get Total testosteroneMethod LC/MS/MS -
$79
Choose it when You only want to follow free testosterone, the unbound part, and do not need total from the same draw.What you get Free testosteroneMethod LC/MS/MS -
$79
Choose it when You want total testosterone and a measured free fraction from one draw, when total alone may not explain symptoms.What you get Total and free testosteroneMethod LC/MS/MS + equilibrium dialysis -
$80
Choose it when Your total and free results disagree, and you want SHBG, albumin and bioavailable testosterone to explain why.What you get Total, free, bioavailable, SHBG, albuminMethod LC/MS/MS; free and bioavailable calculated
Total vs free vs bioavailable testosterone
Total testosterone counts all testosterone in your blood, including what is bound to proteins. Free testosterone is the small unbound part. Bioavailable testosterone adds the part loosely bound to albumin. SHBG, the main binding protein, explains why total and free can disagree. SHBG shifts with age, weight, thyroid and liver health.
LC/MS/MS or immunoassay?
LC/MS/MS (mass spectrometry) measures testosterone precisely, even at low levels, and is used for four of these tests. The immunoassay test for men is the lower-cost total check. Free testosterone by equilibrium dialysis is the reference method.
When to test testosterone
Testosterone is highest in the morning, so book a draw between 8 and 10 a.m. If you use testosterone cream or gel, keep it off the draw arm for 24 hours. A single low result is usually checked again on a second morning.
What a result can tell you
- Measure your testosterone on the day of the draw
- Show whether free and total tell the same story
- Give you a baseline for later tests
What it cannot
- Diagnose low testosterone (hypogonadism) from one result
- Explain why a level is low or high
- Replace a talk with your healthcare provider about symptoms
Sources
- Endocrine Society. Testosterone Therapy in Men With Hypogonadism: Clinical Practice Guideline (2018).
- American Urological Association. Evaluation and Management of Testosterone Deficiency (2018).
- Quest Diagnostics Test Directory, testosterone tests.
How ordering works
- Order your test No doctor visit needed
- Visit a lab nearby 4,500+ certified locations
- Get your results Many results back overnight
Compare Testosterone Tests FAQ
For one total number, the total LC/MS/MS test. To see total and free from one draw, free and total testosterone. If total and free disagree, the bioavailable test adds SHBG and albumin.
The total test for men by immunoassay, at $69. The total LC/MS/MS test is $78. You pay $1 today and the rest after your results.
Total testosterone counts all of it, including what is bound to proteins. Free testosterone is the small unbound part your body can use directly.
No. You order online, and every order is reviewed by a licensed physician, so there is no doctor visit. You take the order to a Quest lab for the draw.
In the morning, ideally between 8 and 10 a.m., when testosterone is highest. When you find a Quest lab near you for your testosterone blood test, pick a morning slot.
