Evexia Complete Male Hormone Profile

Overview:

The Evexia Diagnostics Complete Male Hormone Profile provides a thorough evaluation of hormone levels associated with overall health and aging, along with indicators that may reveal contributing factors of a hormone imbalance.  This panel is recommended for men 40 years of age or old, or for younger men with risk factors like being overweight and obese.  This panel assesses the hormones 17-hydroxypregnenolone, follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), estradiol, progesterone, and testosterone (both total and bioavailable), as well as stress markers (DHEA-S and cortisol) and other makers (sex hormone-bonding globulin [SHBG], and dihydrotestosterone).

In men, the follicle-stimulating hormone stimulates the testes to produce mature sperm and also promotes the production of androgen binding proteins. Luteinizing hormone is produced by the pituitary gland located in the brain. Testosterone provides negative feedback to the pituitary and the hypothalamus, helping to regulate the amount of LH secreted.

The majority (about 60% to 90%) of serum total testosterone is associated with sex hormone-binding globulin; this fraction is tightly bound and biologically unavailable to its target tissues. The remaining bioavailable testosterone is mostly bound to albumin, with only a small fraction (approximately 0.5% to 2%) circulating in the free form. Free testosterone is the form of testosterone that can diffuse into the tissues and act on receptors and is considered the active fraction by many clinicians. Free testosterone assessment is recommended as a primary or secondary measure of androgen activity in men (and women). 

The primary screening test for the diagnosis of hypoandrogenism in men is the measurement of total testosterone in serum in a morning sample. Low concentrations of testosterone in serum should be confirmed by repeat measurement. Determination of free testosterone can be of value in men with borderline total testosterone because alterations in SHBG levels can markedly affect the concentration of biologically available free testosterone. Factors and conditions that tend to increase SHBG concentrations in men include aging, hyperthyroidism, estrogens, HIV disease, anticonvulsant therapy, and liver disease.  Issues that typically decrease SHBG concentrations in men include obesity, diabetes mellitus, hypothyroidism, glucocorticoid therapy, androgenic steroid therapy, nephrotic syndrome, and acromegaly.