TRT Check-in

A short recheck of where testosterone, estrogen, and your complete blood count have landed since your last adjustment.

A full follow-up panel every few weeks is more than most men need, but there are three numbers worth watching between them, and this is just those three. Total testosterone tells you where the dose has you, which matters most in the six to eight weeks after a change in dose, ester or injection schedule, once levels have settled. Estradiol tells you how much of it is converting to estrogen, which is the usual explanation when a dose that looks right on paper comes with water retention or a drop in libido. Hematocrit, from the blood count, is the one that gets a dose cut. Testosterone raises red cell production, the effect builds over months, and most prescribers want to see it before every refill. Draw it at the same point in your injection cycle each time so the numbers compare. Total testosterone is run by immunoassay here, and if you want free testosterone and SHBG as well, upgrade to the fuller profile before checkout. Estradiol is the standard immunoassay, which loses precision at low levels, and the LC/MS version is also an upgrade.

Blood is drawn at a Quest Diagnostics, Labcorp or BioReference patient service center. Price by laboratory: Quest Diagnostics $49, Labcorp $82 or BioReference $89. Your price depends on your state and the laboratories near you. Enter your ZIP code to see them.

What’s included

• Estradiol (standard): Estradiol, a form of estrogen, measured by a standard immunoassay.
• Complete blood count (CBC): Red cells, white cells with a breakdown by type, and platelets, plus hemoglobin, hematocrit and red-cell size.
• Testosterone, total (standard): Total testosterone, a hormone made by the testes, ovaries and adrenal glands, measured by a standard immunoassay.

Optional upgrades

• Estradiol, sensitive (LC/MS) (in place of Estradiol (standard)): Estradiol measured by liquid chromatography with mass spectrometry (LC/MS), a method designed for low levels.
• Testosterone, total and free, with SHBG (standard) (in place of Testosterone, total (standard)): Total testosterone, sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) and albumin, the proteins that carry testosterone in the blood, and free testosterone calculated from them.

Tests you can add

• Dihydrotestosterone (DHT): Dihydrotestosterone, a hormone made from testosterone.
• Progesterone: Progesterone, a hormone made mainly by the ovaries, with smaller amounts from the adrenal glands.
• Pregnenolone: Pregnenolone, a hormone made from cholesterol that the body turns into other steroid hormones, measured by LC/MS.
• 17-Hydroxyprogesterone (17-OHP): 17-hydroxyprogesterone, a hormone made by the adrenal glands and the ovaries or testes, and a building block for cortisol.
• PSA, total and free: Total prostate-specific antigen (PSA), a protein made by the prostate, along with free (unbound) PSA and the percentage of PSA that is free.

Before your draw

No fasting needed.

If you are on testosterone therapy, test when your clinician tells you to relative to your dose. If they have not said, book a morning appointment, ideally before 10 a.m. Skip hard training, especially heavy lifting, for at least 48 hours before your draw. Don't stop your usual medicines unless your clinician tells you to. If you take biotin (vitamin B7), including in hair, skin and nail supplements or multivitamins, have your blood drawn at least 8 hours after a usual dose, or at least 72 hours after a high dose. If biotin was prescribed, ask your clinician before stopping it.