Monitoring testosterone levels in testosterone-treated men.

ABSTRACT

Dose adjustment with transdermal testosterone preparations should recognize the variability of serum total testosterone levels between applications and over the course of 24 h. Dose adjustments are also made difficult by between-laboratory assay variability. Low SHBG with obesity and diabetes lowers the total testosterone level, and free or bioavailable testosterone may prove to be a better choice for monitoring the progress and dosing of testosterone-treated men with adult onset hypogonadism.