Hormone Panels — Men and Women
Hormones are the most age-responsive labs
Unlike lipids or glucose, hormone levels shift dramatically with age. A value that's "normal" for your lab's reference range may be 40% below where you were at 25. This is where optimal ranges vs reference ranges diverge most sharply — and where being your own advocate matters most.
Men — the testosterone panel
Core men's panel: total testosterone, free testosterone, SHBG (sex hormone-binding globulin), estradiol, DHEA-S. Reference ranges call 300–1000 ng/dL "normal." Optimal is usually 500–800. Low-end normals with symptoms (low libido, fatigue, low motivation) merit the full workup, not just total T.
Women — cycle timing matters
Premenopausal women's hormone panels depend heavily on cycle timing. Estradiol + progesterone vary tenfold across the month. The cleanest windows: day 3 of cycle for baseline FSH/LH/estradiol; day 21 for progesterone/estradiol. Post-menopause simplifies interpretation but changes which markers matter.
Both sexes — the often-skipped DHEA-S
DHEA-S is an adrenal hormone that declines ~2% per year after age 30. It's a decent general "vitality" marker — very low values correlate with frailty + mortality in older adults. Usually overlooked. Most PCPs won't order it without a specific complaint; worth requesting annually after 40.
Match each hormone marker to its best use
Connect each test to what it actually tells you.
Key Takeaway
A proper hormone panel for a man is 5 tests, not 1. For a woman it's 6–7 tests timed to cycle. Reference ranges skew toward population averages, not optimal. Knowing what "normal for your age" means vs "optimal for your symptoms" is the difference between settling and fixing.