Mark Greene
Within your body, your hormones act as important messengers that send signals to various areas and help regulate important bodily functions. Thus, should your testosterone or other hormones become unbalanced, the results can range from depression and trouble sleeping to a diminished sex drive or even erectile dysfunction. Rather than wonder what may be causing your problems, it makes sense to use hormone test kits regularly. If you’re ready to learn how they work and exactly what they measure, here is what you need to know.
Simple, Easy, and Effective
If you want to use a hormone test kit to measure your testosterone or other hormones, you’ll be glad to know that today’s kits come with instructions that are very simple to understand, easy to use, and very effective in terms of providing you with accurate measurements. Depending upon the type of test you select and the hormones you want to be measured, you’ll need to supply a urine sample or maybe a sample of your blood or saliva. Upon reading your sample, you’ll send it off to a lab for analysis, with your results often being available online within one week.
At-Home Tests vs. Doctor’s Tests
It is important that you remember that although at-home hormone test kits are more reliable now than ever before, you should still use any results you receive from them in conjunction with in-person tests you would get from your doctor’s office. Should you get results from an in-home hormone test kit that lead you to be concerned, visiting your doctor will ensure the results can be compared to ensure samples from both tests were collected correctly and that the proper hormones are being measured.
Hormones Tested
A hormone test for men will give you a chance to test a variety of hormones, such as:
- Testosterone,
- Prolactin,
- Cortisol,
- Estradiol,
- Sex-hormone binding globulin,
- Free androgen index,
Since you may experience different health issues based on which of your hormones may be out of balance, using a test that will measure as many hormones as possible will give you and your physician a comprehensive analysis of what may be causing your health issues and how they can best be treated.Â
Thyroid Hormone Testing
Though you may be assuming your health problems are associated with low levels of testosterone, it is possible your issues may be stemming from your thyroid. Because of this, you may be wise to use a thyroid hormone test that can measure such hormones as TSH, creatinine, thyroglobulin, TPO, iodine, and free T3 and T4. When using a hormone testing kit specifically for your thyroid, keep in mind that you may need to supply both a blood sample and a urine sample.
Continued Monitoring of Hormones
Based on your health situation, you may be like some men and have the need for continued monitoring of your hormone levels. For example, if you have a weakened immune system from cancer treatments or other health circumstances, hormone test kits will give you the ability to monitor various hormone levels from the comfort of your home rather than continually having to visit a doctor’s office. Also, keep in mind that some hormone levels will naturally decrease as men age. If this applies to you, having the ability to use at-home hormone testing kits will let you monitor your hormone levels and become aware of any potential problems before they progress.
Activating Your Test
When you receive an at-home hormone test kit, the first thing you will usually need to do is use a code given to you by the test kit’s company to register your test kit online. Once you do this, you will be able to view your results online in a secure account. Once your results are ready, you will not only be able to view the findings in your online account but also have the option to speak to a doctor or nurse affiliated with the testing company. This is a smart thing to do since the healthcare professional can explain your results in greater detail, offer advice and suggestions as to possible treatment options, and even send you a prescription if needed.
Bottom Line
Since your testosterone and other hormones play such a key role in determining your level of health, using hormone test kits makes sense if you want to be a man who stays in the best possible shape year after year. By using these test kits in conjunction with regular visits to your physician, good health and peace of mind can be yours.
