Plasma Free Testosterone—is An Index Sufficient?
Abstract
Only about 50% of women who are clinically hirsute have a raised total plasma testosterone concentration; in those cases where the total testosterone is normal the free testosterone may, in fact, be raised. Since the measurement of free testosterone is tedious, workers have used an androgen index or a calculated free testosterone concentration from the measurements of total testosterone and sex-hormone-binding globulin. We have examined the correlation between measured free testosterone, a derived free testosterone and an androgen index in hirsute women, normally menstruating women and non-hirsute women on oral contraceptive therapy. These three measures of the free testosterone concentration in blood gave similar results in all cases.
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A major challenge in testosterone interpretation is significant variability among laboratories and assay techniques.
“One of the challenges with T interpretation is the significant variability existing among laboratories and various assay techniques.”
From Challenges in Testosterone Measurement, Data Interpretation, and Methodological Appraisal of Interventional Trials (2016) · cites this paper as [86]
Comparing immunoassays with gold-standard mass spectrometry, reported variability ranges from −14.1% to +19.2% overall and from −40% to +40% among samples below 100 ng/dl.
“In comparing IA to the gold-standard MS, reported variability ranges from −14.1% to +19.2% in samples overall and −40% to +40% among samples <100 ng/dl (3.5 nmol/L).”
From Challenges in Testosterone Measurement, Data Interpretation, and Methodological Appraisal of Interventional Trials (2016) · cites this paper as [86]
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Measurement of serum testosterone in women; what should we do?
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- Authors
- Nanjee, M. N., & Wheeler, M. J.
- Affiliations
- St Thomas' Hospital (GB)
- ORCID
- Wheeler, M J
- Venue
- Annals of Clinical Biochemistry: International Journal of Laboratory Medicine
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 1985-07
- Volume
- 22
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 387-390
- ISSN
- 0004-5632 (ISSN-L)
- 1758-1001
- OpenAlex
- W2098634066
- Cited by
- 114
- References
- 0
- Citations by year
- 2024: 2 · 2022: 2 · 2021: 2 · 2020: 2 · 2019: 1 · 2018: 2 · 2017: 3 · 2016: 1 · 2015: 3 · 2014: 3 · 2013: 4 · 2012: 4
- FWCI
- 4.08
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Annals of Clinical Biochemistry International Journal of Laboratory Medicine (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Reproductive Medicine › Ovarian function and disorders
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism › Hormonal and reproductive studies
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism › Adrenal Hormones and Disorders
- Keywords
- free testosterone, sex hormone-binding globulin, hirsutism, oral contraceptives, total testosterone, androgen measurement, women
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Adult, Contraceptives, Oral, Female, Hirsutism, Humans, Male, Reference Values, Sex Hormone-Binding Globulin, Testosterone
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