Total & Free DHTMALE
The most potent androgen, converted from testosterone by 5-alpha-reductase in skin, hair follicles and prostate.
DHT drives libido, erectile function and body hair — and also male pattern hair loss and prostate growth. It sits at the center of the hair-loss conversation in the TRT world.
The plan of attack
In this order. Most people start at step four, which is why they change five things at once and learn nothing.
- Confirm the number is real
Time of day. Tracks testosterone's morning peak, since DHT is derived from it. Morning draw, consistently. - Read it with its partner
Interpret alongside total testosterone and PSA. Draw it alongside: Total Testosterone, PSA (Total + Free + % Free), Estradiol, Standard (ECLIA). - Work out which direction is yours
If it's high — Accelerated androgenic hair loss in genetically susceptible men; prostate growth.
If it's low — Usually iatrogenic from 5-AR inhibitors — low libido, erectile difficulty, blunted mood; a well-documented and sometimes persistent downside. - Fix it in this order
Nutrition. No strong dietary lever. Adequate zinc supports normal androgen metabolism.
Lifestyle. For hair: minoxidil (topical, works independent of DHT), microneedling, and ketoconazole shampoo carry evidence without systemic DHT suppression.
Supplements. Saw palmetto and pumpkin seed oil are weak 5-AR inhibitors — gentler than finasteride but far less effective. Topical approaches limit systemic DHT suppression.
Hormones. Finasteride/dutasteride are effective for hair but suppress DHT systemically. Understand the tradeoff, and know they'll halve your PSA readings. Topical finasteride reduces systemic exposure.
Compounds. If on TRT and considering finasteride, test DHT first and understand what you're trading.
Work down the list, not across it. Adding a compound on top of an unfixed diet is why generic protocols fail. - Retest
8–12 weeks after starting or stopping a 5-AR inhibitor. Change one thing at a time, or the retest can't tell you which thing worked.
How to fix it
📚 Traish AM et al., J Sex Med 2011 — adverse effects of 5-alpha-reductase inhibitors.
🩸 Test your Total & Free DHT
Order directly through Marek Diagnostics — no doctor's visit needed, drawn at any Quest location in the US. Code CAMERON applies 10% off automatically.
Order this test — 10% off → Browse all 102 markers →What Total & Free DHT is usually tested alongside
On its own, one marker is a data point. These panels include Total & Free DHT plus the markers that make it interpretable — each names every test, why it is on the list, and loads the whole set into your cart in one click at 10% off.
includes this + 6 more markers · built for men — Over 45, or over 40 with a family history. Also anyone with urinary changes — weak stream, frequency, waking at night to urinate.
What moves your Total & Free DHT
1 supplement in the Vault have a documented effect on this marker, or are a reason to have measured it first:
Browse all 237 compounds & 350 supplements →
Would you feel it? Symptoms Total & Free DHT helps explain
People rarely search for a marker — they search for how they feel. These are the complaints where this marker is worth checking, and whether it is a first-line test or a follow-up once the obvious causes are ruled out.
Why your Total & Free DHT might be wrong
Most abnormal results are interference, not disease. These are the things that measurably move this specific marker — check them before you change anything. Each one says whether the number is wrong and should be repeated, badly timed and should be redrawn, or real with a cause worth explaining.
5-alpha-reductase inhibitors are designed to crush DHT — finasteride by roughly 70%, dutasteride more. A low DHT on these drugs is the treatment working.
Interpret only against what you are taking.
Tracks testosterone's morning peak, since DHT is derived from it.
Morning draw, consistently.
What Total & Free DHT means in combination
A single marker tells you a little. Combinations tell you the story — these are the named patterns this marker takes part in, and what each one points at.
Both effects are the drug working. The one that matters clinically is PSA: these drugs roughly halve it, so a PSA of 1.5 on finasteride corresponds to about 3.0 untreated. Failing to double the value has caused missed cancers.
Double your PSA if you have been on a 5-ARI for more than six months, and tell whoever reads it. Track the trend rather than the absolute.
What to test next
Markers rarely answer alone. These are the ones that put Total & Free DHT in context — each with its own full breakdown.
Frequently asked questions
30–85 ng/dL (assay dependent) Ranges vary by laboratory and assay — always compare to the range printed on your own report.
Mid-range, balanced against hair-loss and prostate considerations. Suppressing DHT aggressively has real costs to libido and erectile quality.
Accelerated androgenic hair loss in genetically susceptible men; prostate growth.
Usually iatrogenic from 5-AR inhibitors — low libido, erectile difficulty, blunted mood; a well-documented and sometimes persistent downside.
You can order Total & Free DHT directly through Marek Diagnostics without a doctor's visit — drawn at any Quest Diagnostics location in the US. Code CAMERON applies 10% off automatically.