The bands on this page
| Result | What it is called here |
|---|---|
| under 10 | Low ratio — relatively high E2 |
| 10 to 30 | Balanced range |
| over 30 | High ratio — E2 may be over-suppressed |
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 2 tests on their own | $85.50 |
| The cheapest panel that covers them — Female Libido & Sexual Health (8 markers) | $167.40 |
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.
The routine estradiol assay was validated at female concentrations and reads unreliably in the male range. A great deal of unnecessary aromatase-inhibitor use traces back to a bad number from the wrong assay.
What to do: In men, insist on the sensitive LC/MS-MS assay. Do not act on a standard immunoassay result.
Biotin interferes with the streptavidin-biotin immunoassays most hormone tests run on. Depending on the assay design it pushes the result falsely HIGH or falsely LOW — there is no single direction to correct for. Hair, skin and nail products are the usual source, and doses in those are far above the RDA.
What to do: Stop biotin 48–72 hours before the draw, and check every supplement label rather than just the one labeled biotin.
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.
3 more interferences are listed on the marker pages themselves: Total Testosterone · Estradiol, Sensitive (LC/MS-MS).