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The volume measurement, or hct blood test, is the proportion of blood that the red blood cells take up. Hemoglobin, on the other hand, is a density or concentration measurement and is expressed in grams per liter or deciliter. (Hemoglobin is, if you will recall from your high school biology, the iron-based protein that transports oxygen.) RBC is a simple count and is usually expressed as the number of million red blood cells that you have per microliter. Usually, hematocrit is three times the amount of hemoglobin.

Testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) increases hematocrit in most men.  Read more about how to decrease hematocrit.

NOTE: Hematocrit is also part of the CBC panel, so there is no need to order separately if your order already includes CBC.

The adrenal gland produces a hormone known as dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA). It is also made in the brain. DHEA leads to the production of androgens and estrogens (male and female sex hormones). DHEA levels in the body begin to decrease after age 30. Lower DHEA levels are found in people with hormonal disorders, HIV/AIDS, Alzheimer's disease, heart disease, depression, diabetes, inflammation, immune disorders, and osteoporosis. Corticosteroids, birth control taken by mouth, and agents that treat psychiatric disorders may reduce DHEA levels.

This panel includes hormones that have been implicated in gynecomastia by several studies. Gynecomastia is a benign enlargement of the male breast resulting from a growth of the glandular tissue of the breast. Since it causes anxiety, psychosocial discomfort and fear of breast cancer, early diagnostic evaluation is important, and patients usually seek medical attention. Causes include hormone imbalance and genetic predisposition.

The cystatin C test (which also includes estimated creatinine clearance eGFR) can be done along with the creatinine or creatinine clearance test in cases where those tests aren’t appropriate, such as patients taking creatine supplements for bodybuilding. These supplements can increase creatinine and decrease creatinine clearance, which can alarm doctors who fear kidney dysfunction.  This creatinine increase is not clinically relevant, but running a Cystatin C test can give physicians reassurance and allow the patient to keep taking that effective bodybuilding supplement.