📅 Last Updated: March 2026 | 🩺 Medically Reviewed by: Edward Salko, D.O. | 🧪 HSA/FSA Eligible
Why Test Your SHBG Levels? Total testosterone doesn’t tell the whole story. SHBG is the “carrier protein” that acts like a lock on your hormones. If your SHBG is too high, your testosterone is “locked up” and unusable by your body.
This test is critical if you are experiencing:
-
Men: Symptoms of low libido or fatigue despite having “normal” Total Testosterone levels.
-
Women: Signs of PCOS, including irregular cycles, adult acne, or thinning hair.
-
Optimization: If you are on TRT (Testosterone Replacement Therapy) and need to calculate your Free Testosterone Index.
Use:
SHBG and testosterone levels may be ordered for an adult male to help determine the cause of infertility, a decreased sex drive, and erectile dysfunction, especially when total testosterone results are inconsistent with clinical signs.
In women, SHBG and testosterone testing may be useful in helping to detect and evaluate excess testosterone production and/or decreased SHBG concentrations.
The concentration of testosterone in the various free and bound forms is essentially a function of total testosterone concentration and the relative concentrations of SHBG and albumin. Therefore it can be predicted that increased SHBG will decrease the concentration of both free and bioavailable testosterone for a given total testosterone concentration.
Recommended For:
Diagnosis for hirsutism, obesity, alopecia, female virilization.
Special Notes:
Testing for Sex hormone binding globulin which is a protein which binds reversibly with hormones testosterone and estradiol, carrying them to target organs.
Clinical Oversight by Dr. Edward Salko
Edward Salko, D.O., Personalabs Medical Director, has reviewed the clinical utility of this SHBG panel. Dr. Salko ensures that our testing protocols provide actionable data for patients monitoring hormonal balance, metabolic health, and endocrine function.
-
Note for Patients: High SHBG is often linked to liver health or hyperthyroidism, while low SHBG is frequently associated with insulin resistance and obesity. Always share these results with your healthcare provider for a full clinical assessment.
Tests Included:
Estimated Turn Around For Results:
2-10 Business Days
For an exact turnaround time for results, please contact us at Personalabs and we will contact the lab on your behalf as turnaround times vary depending on testing location or lab testing provider.
