How Do You Know If Your Testosterone Range Is Actually Working for You?

About this Podcast

A testosterone result that lands inside the normal range on a lab report is not the same as a testosterone level that is actually right for your body. Normal ranges are built from an entire tested population, not from what your body needs to feel and function well. On this episode of Longevity Unfiltered, Zach Dancel and Stephanie Misanik explain why that gap between normal and optimal matters more for testosterone than almost any other lab marker, for men and for women.

Zach Dancel, Chief Operating Officer at Nava Health, and Stephanie Misanik, Clinical Director at Nava Health, host this episode together. There is no guest this week. Instead, the two of them spend the full conversation building the case for testosterone as the clearest example of why a passing grade on a lab report does not guarantee good health.

What this episode teaches: how reference ranges get built, why total testosterone only tells part of the story, why the testosterone to estrogen ratio matters for men, what a comprehensive hormone panel actually includes, and why testosterone testing works differently for women.

Lesson One: A Normal Reference Range Reflects a Population, Not Your Health  

A reference range on a lab report comes from testing a large group of people and finding where the middle 95 percent of their results land. The top and bottom 2.5 percent get treated as outliers and removed. What remains becomes the normal range.

That method has a real limitation. Most of the population used to build those ranges is not in strong metabolic or cardiovascular shape. A result that sits comfortably inside that range is not automatically a healthy result. It just means the number matches what a largely unhealthy population also produced. Asking a provider for an optimal range, not just a normal one, is the shift that changes the conversation.

Lesson Two: Total Testosterone Only Tells Part of the Story  

A single total testosterone number does not say how much of that hormone your body can actually use. Total testosterone measures everything circulating in the blood. Free testosterone measures the small portion that is not bound to a protein and is available for the body to use.

The protein responsible for a lot of that binding is SHBG. Higher SHBG means more testosterone gets tied up and less is available, even when the total number looks fine. Body weight, certain nutrient deficiencies, and regular alcohol use can all raise SHBG. A full picture requires total testosterone, free testosterone, and SHBG together, not one number standing in for all three.

Lesson Three: The Testosterone to Estrogen Ratio Matters for Men Too  

Testosterone can convert into estrogen through a process called aromatization. Men need some estrogen, just not too much and not too little. When that ratio swings out of range in either direction, the effects show up in mood and energy rather than in the testosterone number itself.

Too much conversion toward estrogen can bring on irritability and emotional swings. Too little estrogen can bring on a flat, low mood that is easy to mistake for something else entirely. Measuring the testosterone to estrogen ratio, not just testosterone or estrogen on their own, gives a clearer read on what is actually happening and what to adjust.

Lesson Four: A Comprehensive Panel Goes Well Beyond a Basic Testosterone Test  

A single-draw testosterone test, the kind offered at some walk-in clinics, misses most of the picture. A more complete evaluation includes total and free testosterone, SHBG, estrone and estradiol, HbA1c and insulin for blood sugar regulation, a lipid panel and ApoB for cardiovascular risk, and inflammatory markers such as high sensitivity CRP.

Regular re-evaluation matters just as much as the first panel. Hormone levels and the symptoms tied to them can shift, so checking labs on a set schedule, alongside real conversation time with a provider, is what turns a single data point into an actual treatment plan.

Lesson Five: What Actually Drives Testosterone Down in Women, and What to Do About It  

Testosterone is the most abundant sex hormone in the female body, ahead of both estrogen and progesterone, yet it is frequently the one hormone left off a woman's lab work entirely. Part of the reason traces back to a research gap. Women were largely excluded from hormone research for decades, and testing standards built around male hormone levels are not well suited to the much lower levels found in women.

Levels typically start declining in the late twenties, with most women noticing symptoms in their early to mid thirties: persistent fatigue that sleep alone does not fix, brain fog, a drop in libido, trouble building muscle despite consistent training, and weight gain that concentrates around the midsection. A few common factors can accelerate that decline. Chronic stress is one. Certain medications, birth control especially, are another. Hormonal birth control pauses the natural signal from the brain to the ovaries, which lowers the body's own testosterone, estrogen, and progesterone production, and it raises SHBG, the protein that binds up whatever testosterone is left. That effect can linger well after stopping the medication, which is exactly why it deserves a real conversation with a provider rather than a five-minute prescription.

A complete hormone panel for women includes total and free testosterone, estrone, estradiol, progesterone, FSH, LH, and SHBG, alongside the same metabolic and cardiovascular markers used for men. Standard labs list a normal range for women around 5 to 55 nanograms per deciliter. Many longevity focused providers look toward an optimal range closer to 150 to 250, personalized to symptoms rather than treated as a hard ceiling, since some women do well somewhat higher.

Treatment options for women generally come down to creams, injections, and pellets, each with its own dosing rhythm, and the right fit depends on personal preference and lifestyle. Side effects, when they show up, tend to be mild and manageable: some acne or hair growth, and occasionally, a change tied to how the body converts testosterone into a related, more potent hormone, which has its own straightforward ways to manage if it becomes noticeable. Safety data backs this up at scale. One large study following more than a million hormone pellet procedures found a complication rate under 1 percent.

Frequently Asked Questions  

What is considered a normal testosterone range for men?  

Most standard labs list a normal range for men between roughly 264 and 916 nanograms per deciliter. That range is wide enough that two men with very different symptoms can both be told they are normal.

What is an optimal testosterone range for men?  

Many longevity focused providers look toward a range closer to 800 to 1,200 nanograms per deciliter, combined with the resolution of symptoms, rather than a number alone.

What causes low testosterone in women?  

Chronic stress, normal aging starting in the late twenties, and certain medications all play a role. Hormonal birth control is a common one, since it can lower the body's own hormone production and raise SHBG, which binds up whatever testosterone remains.

What is an optimal testosterone range for women?  

Standard labs list a normal range for women around 5 to 55 nanograms per deciliter. Many longevity focused providers look toward an optimal range closer to 150 to 250, personalized to symptoms rather than a fixed ceiling.

Listen to the full episode of Longevity Unfiltered to hear Zach and Stephanie walk through the complete testosterone picture for men and women.

Next week, Zach and Stephanie turn to GLP-1 medications and what the research says about their role in longevity, not just weight loss.

Stop accepting symptom management as the only option before exploring what personalized care, comprehensive labs, hormone optimization, nutrition, and lifestyle can do. Learn the health strategies traditional medicine often overlooks. Learn more about personalized care at :

 https://navacenter.com/

PERSONALIZED. EVIDENCE BASED. UNFILTERED.

Follow Longevity Unfiltered  

Website: LegacyandLongevity.com | Instagram: @legacyandlongevity | YouTube: @LegacyandLongevityPodcast | Facebook: Legacy and Longevity Podcast

Follow Zach Dancel  

Instagram: @zachdancel | Facebook: Zach Dancel | LinkedIn: Zach Dancel

Follow Stephanie Misanik  

Instagram: @stephaniemisanik | Facebook: Stephanie Misanik

Follow Nava Health  

Website: Navacenter.com | Instagram: @navahealth | Facebook: Nava Health and Vitality Center | LinkedIn: Nava Health | TikTok: @navahealth | Schedule a Call: navacenter.com | Locations: navacenter.com | The Nava Method: navacenter.com