What is an SHBG blood test?
This test measures the levels of SHBG in your blood. SHBG stands for sex hormone binding globulin. It’s a protein made by the liver and attaches itself to sex hormones found in both men and women. These hormones are:
Testosterone, the main sex hormone in men
Dihydrotestosterone (DHT), another male sex hormone
Estradiol, a form of estrogen, the main sex hormone in women
SHBG controls how much of these hormones are delivered to the body’s tissues. Although SHBG attaches to all three of these hormones, an SHBG test is mostly used to look at testosterone. SHBG levels can show if there is too much or too little testosterone being used by the body. What is it used for?
An SHBG test is most often used to find out how much testosterone is going to the body’s tissues. Testosterone levels can be measured in a separate test called total testosterone. This test shows how much testosterone is in the body, but not how much is being used by the body.
Sometimes a total testosterone test is enough to make a diagnosis. But some people have symptoms of too much or too little of the hormone that the total testosterone test results can’t explain. In these cases, an SHBG test may be ordered to provide more information about how much testosterone is available to the body.
This test measures the amount of dihydrotestosterone in the blood. DHT is a hormone derived from testosterone and is directly linked to male and female baldness, sexual development in puberty, acne, and prostate enlargement / cancer.
An electrocardiogram records the electrical signals in the heart. It’s a common and painless test used to quickly detect heart problems and monitor the heart’s health.
An electrocardiogram ? also called ECG or EKG ? is often done in a health care provider’s office, a clinic or a hospital room. ECG machines are standard equipment in operating rooms and ambulances. Some personal devices, such as smartwatches, offer ECG monitoring. Ask your health care provider if this is an option for you.
An audiometry exam tests your ability to hear sounds. Sounds vary, based on their loudness (intensity) and the speed of sound wave vibrations (tone).
Hearing occurs when sound waves stimulate the nerves of the inner ear. The sound then travels along nerve pathways to the brain.
Sound waves can travel to the inner ear through the ear canal, eardrum, and bones of the middle ear (air conduction). They can also pass through the bones around and behind the ear (bone conduction).
