The bands on this page
| Result | What it is called here |
|---|---|
| under 9 | Low |
| 9 to 15 | Low-normal |
| 15 to 30 | Optimal range |
| over 30 | High |
What goes in, and where each number comes from
Every input is a real test. Follow one to see its normal range, its optimal range and what moves it — the calculation is only as good as the numbers you feed it.
What it costs to actually get these numbers
| The 3 tests on their own | $80.10 |
| The cheapest panel that covers them — Male Hair Loss — What Blood Can and Cannot Tell You (10 markers) | $160.65 |
Prices are Marek Diagnostics with the 10% code already applied, and they are what was filed when this page was built — check the cart. Ordering through these links pays a commission at no cost to you.
What could have moved the measurement, not the marker
A wrong number and a real change look identical on a report. These are the reasons a result here can be an artifact of how the blood was drawn or run, and they are worth ruling out before anything else.
Direct immunoassays are unreliable at the low end and in women. LC-MS/MS is the reference method.
What to do: Ask for LC/MS where the number will drive a decision.
Red cells rupturing in the tube spill their contents into the serum. Potassium, LDH, AST and magnesium are far higher inside cells than outside, so a hemolyzed sample reports them falsely high. Caused by a difficult draw, a narrow needle, or shaking the tube.
What to do: The lab usually flags it. If your result is odd and the report mentions hemolysis, that is your answer — repeat the draw.
Clenching your fist pumps potassium out of muscle and can raise a measured potassium enough to trigger a false alarm. A long tourniquet concentrates protein, calcium and everything protein-bound.
What to do: Do not pump your fist. Ask for the tourniquet to come off early. An isolated high potassium with no symptoms is usually this.
Testosterone peaks in the early morning and falls through the day, with the difference largest in younger men — a 4pm draw can read 20–30% below the same man at 8am.
What to do: Draw before 10am, and always at the same time when tracking.
9 more interferences are listed on the marker pages themselves: Total Testosterone · SHBG (Sex Hormone-Binding Globulin) · Comprehensive Metabolic Panel (CMP).