Can a regular family doctor test for low testosterone levels? - Yahoo! Answers
...... whether you have low testosterone OR hypogonadism. The two aren't quite the same- low testosterone may be low normal (toward the bottom of the reference range) or below it, whereas hypogonadism is generally below the lab's reference range (which have various thresholds at 200 ng/dL, 300 ng/dL, or 400 ng/dL total testosterone, respectively) & includes low sperm production. If the doc has a false expectation of what to find (small testes for instance- which only occur among some men with low testosterone), he may not order the tests.
Any physician may test & treat you for low testosterone. (In fact, *you* can order tests *for yourself* from privatemdlabs.com or lef.org . This is worth considering if your doc doesn't do extensive testing.)
However, many don't bother or are afraid due to perceived legal retribution for prescribing testosterone/steroids (even when applied for legitimate medical purposes).
Then there are those who don't know what to look for- he might see a number like 301 ng/dL (in a lab reference range of 300 - 1000 ng/dL) total testosterone, ignore your report of signs & symptoms, & tell you "you're fine". Despite the fact that reference ranges should be age adjusted (meaning a level around 300 ng/dL corresponds to a man in his 70s [who may have signs & symptoms of low testosterone], not a healthy 20-40 year old), many docs tend to declare anything within the reference range as normal.
