What does the Dihydrotestosterone test measure?

Why is Dihydrotestosterone measured?

DHT is measured to assess androgen activity in conditions driven by potent androgen action — androgenetic alopecia, hirsutism, benign prostatic processes — and to investigate disorders of androgen metabolism such as 5-alpha reductase deficiency, where DHT is low relative to testosterone. It is also used to monitor 5-alpha reductase inhibitor therapy, which lowers DHT. Because much DHT action is intracellular, serum DHT incompletely reflects tissue androgen exposure, and accurate measurement (preferably by mass spectrometry) is important given its low concentration.

Reference ranges

Standard reference

Adult males: ~30–85 ng/dL (1.0–2.9 nmol/L); adult females: much lower, ~4–22 ng/dL # REVIEWER FLAG: Reference intervals are strongly sex-dependent and assay-specific; mass-spectrometry methods are preferred — reviewer to confirm against Access Medical Laboratories' assay-specific ranges and methodology.

Functional medicine optimal

Sex-specific; interpreted against testosterone and the clinical context rather than a single optimal value

Units

ng/dL, nmol/L

Reference ranges vary by laboratory and assay platform. Interpret in context of the issuing laboratory's stated range.