Testosterone is a vital hormone that significantly influences men’s health. It is key in developing and maintaining male reproductive tissues and secondary sexual characteristics like muscle and bone growth and the development of body hair. Though produced in smaller amounts in women, testosterone also plays an important role in their health.
This hormone affects many aspects of the body, from sexual development to bone health and mood regulation. Maintaining balanced testosterone levels is crucial for overall well-being, making accurate hormone measurements essential.
Tecan, a leader in providing diagnostic tools, has developed advanced testing systems to help monitor testosterone levels, including saliva-based immunoassays. These testing methods are designed to measure sex hormones like testosterone through saliva, which is an ideal medium for evaluation.
Testosterone is primarily produced in the testes in men and the ovaries in women. It follows a natural rhythm, peaking in the morning and decreasing throughout the day. Testosterone exists in the blood in different forms—free, bound to sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG), or bound to albumin. Only the free testosterone, which is the biologically active form, can pass from the bloodstream into the saliva. This makes saliva an effective and non-invasive medium for testing testosterone levels.
Saliva testing is becoming increasingly popular because it is less invasive than blood testing and allows for easier sampling. Patients can collect saliva samples themselves throughout the day, capturing the peak and baseline testosterone levels due to the hormone’s natural diurnal rhythm.
For accurate hormone measurement, highly sensitive and precise assays are required. Tecan brings over 20 years of expertise in developing immunoassays specifically for saliva hormone testing. These assays have been trusted globally in research studies and clinical settings, offering highly reliable results.
Tecan’s advanced technology for salivary hormone testing has been featured in several peer-reviewed studies. For example, one study by Goncharov and colleagues used Tecan’s Testosterone Luminescence Immunoassay to measure salivary testosterone levels. The results confirmed the method’s ability to accurately diagnose hypogonadism in men and assess androgen levels in women. Another study by Schmidt and colleagues found the Testosterone Luminescence Immunoassay to be a valuable tool for measuring testosterone in healthy individuals.
Stress has a direct impact on testosterone levels. Acute stress—like facing a sudden stressful event—can cause an initial increase in testosterone as part of the body’s “fight or flight” response. However, chronic stress leads to lower testosterone levels over time, as prolonged high cortisol levels can hinder testosterone production.
Cortisol, the stress hormone, interferes with the production of luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), both of which are needed for testosterone production in the testes. Chronic stress also leads to lifestyle changes such as poor sleep and reduced physical activity, further contributing to lower testosterone levels.
Military personnel often face high-stress environments, including sleep deprivation, physical demands, and caloric restrictions. For soldiers, balancing stress with adequate recovery is crucial to maintain performance. Monitoring testosterone and cortisol levels is a key tool in ensuring proper training loads and recovery periods.
Research using Tecan’s testosterone assays has shown that hormonal changes in response to stress can act as markers for physical strain and recovery. This research has been useful for military training and can be applied in other fields to track the effects of stress on health and performance. For example, studies on soldiers undergoing intense military training found that cortisol and testosterone levels could indicate when an individual needs more recovery time.
Accurate testing of testosterone levels is critical to men’s health, and salivary testing offers a less invasive and more convenient option. Tecan’s saliva-based assays, which measure hormones like testosterone and cortisol, are helping to meet this need. These assays have been validated in research and are used globally by clinicians to diagnose various health conditions.
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