Testosterone optimization, dialed in.
Hormones drive performance. Start with your numbers.
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What testosterone does.
Your strength, your sex drive and the muscle you've built all run on one hormone: testosterone.
It doesn't crash. It slides, slowly with age, and faster if you carry extra fat or deal with chronic illness.
That's why it's easy to miss. There's no one bad day, just a slow fade.
What low T feels like.
A slow fade shows up in small ways. Read them together and a pattern appears.
- Less muscle and strength
- Less interest in sex
- Weaker or fewer morning erections
- More body fat
- Less energy and drive
- Less confidence
- Low or flat mood
- Poor focus and memory
- Bad sleep, or sleepy all day
Plenty of other things cause these too. So symptoms raise the question. Labs answer it.
What your labs tell you.
Blood work turns that question into numbers. Each one answers a different part of it.
Total testosterone
Is your level actually low? Start here. This number counts all the testosterone in your blood. Book the draw for a fasting morning, when levels peak. Then repeat it on a second morning, because one reading can mislead.
Free testosterone
What if your total doesn't settle it? Most testosterone rides on carrier proteins. Free testosterone is the 2% to 4% that doesn't. It matters most when your total sits near the low line or those proteins are off.
SHBG
Why can your total mislead you? SHBG, sex hormone-binding globulin, is the main carrier protein. Obesity and diabetes push it down, so your total can read low while your free T holds up. Age pushes it up, so your total can look fine while your free T runs low.
LH and FSH
If you're low, why? LH and FSH come from your pituitary, a gland at the base of your brain, and they tell your testes to work. Low T with high LH points to the testes. Low T with low or normal LH points to the brain's signal. Either way, you know where the problem starts.
How to read your result.
Your report comes back. Start with the units and the range.
Labs report testosterone in ng/dL, nanograms per deciliter. For healthy, non-obese men aged 19 to 39, the reference range runs 264 to 916 ng/dL. Some labs and guidelines draw the low line at 300. Your report shows your lab's range.
A low number alone isn't a diagnosis. Neither are symptoms alone. You need both: symptoms, plus levels that stay low.
Get both, and your labs help point to the cause. Sometimes you can fix it. Extra fat, opioids and illness can all pull testosterone down, and treating them can bring it back.
If therapy fits, those same labs become your baseline. Every later result gets measured against them.
What testosterone therapy is.
You've got symptoms. You've got confirmed low levels. That's who testosterone therapy is for. It's prescription treatment that gives you testosterone your body isn't making enough of.
The target isn't the biggest number possible. It's the middle of the normal range for healthy young men.
Repeat labs show if you got there, so your plan moves with your numbers and how you feel.
But the number was never the point. What you noticed slipping was.
What can change.
Here's what trials show in men with low testosterone. Your results will vary.
Muscle and fat
Lean mass went up and fat mass came down, consistently. In older men, strength gains also beat placebo.
Sex drive
Sexual function improves in men with low levels. Men with normal levels don't see the same lift. That's why the labs come first.
Energy and mood
These vary the most from man to man. One large trial found no clear gain in fatigue over placebo.
How it works.
From what you've noticed to a plan, in three steps.
Book your consultation.
Book with a Bound Medical provider. A short intake form follows.
Meet your provider.
Your provider reviews your history on a telehealth visit. If treatment fits, you get a personalized plan.
Stay dialed in.
Your provider checks in each month and adjusts your plan.
Testosterone questions.
What counts as low testosterone?
Symptoms, plus levels that stay low on repeat morning tests. For total testosterone, the reference range bottoms out at 264 ng/dL. Some labs and guidelines use 300.
What's the difference between total and free testosterone?
Total counts all of it. Free counts the 2% to 4% that isn't bound to a protein. Total comes first. Free settles it when your total sits near the line or your SHBG is off.
Do I need labs before my first consult?
No. Your provider assesses you and orders the labs you need.
How do I get ready for a testosterone blood draw?
Book it for the morning and fast overnight. If you're getting LH and FSH drawn too, stop biotin supplements at least 72 hours before.
How often do levels get rechecked?
Guidelines call for a level check 3 to 6 months after you start, and a symptom review within the first year. Then yearly.
Can losing weight raise my testosterone?
It can. Extra fat is one cause of low T, and treating the cause may reverse it. See our weight loss page.
Do I need testosterone therapy just because I'm older?
No. Age alone isn't the reason. Symptoms and consistently low numbers are.
Who provides my care?
Independent licensed clinicians at Bound Medical provide all care. Longevity Logic doesn't diagnose, treat or sell medication. Your clinician decides what fits.
Where is care available?
Texas, for adults 18 or older.
Does insurance cover this?
Not the consultation. It's out of pocket, and HSA and FSA cards work.
Is a prescription or a result guaranteed?
No. Payment doesn't guarantee a prescription or treatment.