Assays of Serum Testosterone

Abstract

The diagnosis of male hypogonadism depends on an assessment of the clinical signs and symptoms of hypogonadism and serum testosterone level. Current clinical laboratory testosterone assay platforms include immunoassays and mass spectrometry. Despite significant advances to improve the accuracy and precision of the currently available assays, limited comparability exists between assays at the lower and upper extremes of the testosterone range. Because of this lack of comparability, there is no current gold standard assay for the assessment of total testosterone levels.

Keywords: Adult; Circadian rhythm; Humans; Hypogonadism/metabolism; Immunoassay; Steroids/blood; Testosterone/blood; Testosterone/deficiency.