Most UK laboratories will use reference ranges similar to this one. Testosterone levels peak during adolescence and early adulthood. Testosterone levels may begin to decline after age 30 in men and between the ages of 45 and 55 in women. These age-related changes occur naturally because the Leydig cells in the testicles (which produce testosterone) produce less testosterone with age.
However, most of the testosterone produced in the ovaries is converted to the main female sex hormone, estradiol. If lifestyle changes don't alleviate symptoms of low testosterone, testosterone replacement therapy may be an option under the care of a medical professional. Despite growing trends in testosterone therapy, there's no need to worry or obsess about testosterone levels. Men are more likely to have symptoms due to low testosterone levels, while women are more likely to experience negative effects from high testosterone levels.
Some research also suggests that high prenatal testosterone levels may be related to autism in children. They will evaluate your symptoms and test your testosterone levels to help provide a diagnosis and develop a treatment plan, if needed. There are several scientific perspectives on what should be considered a normal level of testosterone for men at different stages of life. In addition, diet, exercise, stress, and sleep play an important role in maintaining healthy testosterone levels. For example, a person may be born with a (congenital) condition that produces low levels of testosterone, such as Klinefelter syndrome or Kallmann syndrome, or may develop it later (acquired), for example, because of something that alters the normal functioning of the testicles, hypothalamus, or pituitary gland.
While this natural decline in testosterone levels is a normal part of aging, levels that are too high or too low can contribute to symptoms that affect quality of life. However, if testosterone levels are lower than expected, it could be a sign of problems with the production of testosterone or other hormones that interact with testosterone. While primarily associated with the male reproductive system, people who are assigned female gender at birth also produce testosterone. Classic male hypogonadism occurs when low testosterone levels are due to an underlying medical condition or damage to the testicles, pituitary gland, or hypothalamus.
