Medical Diagnosis Exams

Andropause or male menopause describes a drop in testosterone levels that many men experience as they get older. Testosterone levels gradually decline with age to the tune of about 1 percent a year after the age of 30 on average. Male menopause can cause physical, sexual and psychological problems.

The Dehydroepiandrosterone Sulfate (DHEAS) blood test checks your level of this natural steroid hormone that serves as a precursor to male and female sex hormones.  DHEAS is also associated with immune and stress response.

The Follicle-Stimulating Hormone (FSH) test checks your levels of the hormone FSH that increase during menopause. FSH is responsible for stimulating egg maturation as well as oestradiol production, another hormone that is a form of estrogen.

The Testosterone blood test checks your levels of testosterone, that may affect sexual libido, cause erectile dysfunction and infertility in men. Testosterone is not just a sex hormone. Low testosterone levels can affect your sex drive, mood, quality of life and sleep, as well as your bone density, muscle mass and strength.

The Free Androgen Index (FAI) is a ratio calculated after a blood test for testosterone and indicates how much available (free) testosterone there is in the blood. The FAI test is used to check for abnormal androgen levels.

The Luteinising Hormone (LH) test measures the level of this hormone in the bloodstream which is important for both male and female fertility. LH helps regulate menstruation and ovulation in women while in men LH stimulates testosterone production.

The Sex Hormone Binding Globulin (SHBG) blood test looks for this protein produced by the liver that is critical in regulating the amount of the unbound steroids, testosterone, dihydrotestosterone (DHT) and estrogen, but mostly testosterone in the bloodstream. The SHBG test may be used to help evaluate men for low testosterone and women for excess testosterone production.