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Testosterone
testing in London
A morning blood test, read alongside your symptoms, and treatment prescribed here if it is genuinely warranted.
The timing of the sample changes the answer
Testosterone follows a daily rhythm and is at its highest in the morning. A sample taken in the afternoon can come back low in someone whose levels are entirely normal, which is one of the reasons this test gets misread so often. It should be taken before about 11am.
And a single low result is not a diagnosis. Levels vary day to day, and illness, poor sleep, heavy training and stress all push them down temporarily. A genuinely low testosterone is confirmed on a repeat sample, not assumed from one.
This matters because there is an enormous amount of money in telling men their testosterone is low. We do prescribe testosterone replacement where it is genuinely indicated, but on a confirmed diagnosis, not on one number and a website quiz. Frequently the honest answer is that the level is fine and the cause is sleep, alcohol, weight or thyroid.
What happens
Testing it properly
The £89 consultation covers the appointment. Total testosterone is £57, or £95.50 with SHBG added, charged in addition.
Getting the sample right
Timing is not a detail here.
What happens with the result
Interpreted, not just reported.
Symptoms
What men come in with
Persistent fatigue
Flat, no drive, tired despite sleeping. Also the commonest symptom of half a dozen other things.
Low libido
Or erectile difficulties. Worth saying out loud at the appointment. It is a clinical symptom, not an embarrassment.
Mood and motivation
Low mood, irritability, a sense of having lost your edge at work or in the gym.
Loss of muscle, gain of fat
Particularly around the middle, despite training that used to work.
Poor sleep
Both a cause and a consequence. Sleep apnoea in particular is worth ruling out.
Being told online you have low T
A very common route in. Bring whatever result you have and we will look at it properly.
Testosterone replacement is a long-term commitment with real effects on fertility, and it needs monitoring for as long as you are on it. We prescribe it where it is warranted and we will say so plainly when it is not.
Questions
Things people ask us
Why does the sample have to be in the morning?
Testosterone peaks in the early morning and falls through the day, so an afternoon sample can read low in a man whose levels are perfectly normal. Testing before about 11am is the standard, and booking a morning appointment is the single easiest thing you can do to get a meaningful result.
Do you prescribe testosterone replacement?
Yes, where it is genuinely indicated. What we will not do is start it on the strength of a single result. A low reading is confirmed on a repeat morning sample, other causes are looked for, and we go through what treatment involves, including the effect on fertility and the monitoring it needs for as long as you stay on it. If your levels are normal we will tell you that instead.
I feel terrible but my result was normal. Now what?
That is a useful result rather than a dead end, because it rules something out. Fatigue, low mood and low libido have many causes, and thyroid problems, iron deficiency, poor sleep, alcohol and depression are all commoner than low testosterone. The consultation is where we work through those.
Is total testosterone enough on its own?
For most people it answers the question. Where a result sits close to the borderline, SHBG at £38.50 lets us calculate free testosterone, which is the figure that actually matters when the total is ambiguous. The GP will advise whether it is worth adding. Results come back the next working day either way, and it can be run on the same sample.
Related
Often tested at the same time
Tested properly, and read honestly
Book a morning appointment for a result that actually means something.