Focused men's hormone panel. Total + free testosterone, SHBG, estradiol sensitive, LH, FSH, prolactin, DHEA-S, AM cortisol, plus thyroid, PSA, metabolic, lipids, and CBC/CMP for context. Atlas AI translates every result into a clear action plan. For men considering TRT, tracking a hormone protocol, or diagnosing low energy, libido, or mood shifts.
The Hormone Panel for Him is a fasted blood draw that measures male sex hormones including total and free testosterone, SHBG, estradiol, LH and FSH, plus thyroid, metabolic, lipid, liver, kidney, prostate, blood count, inflammation and nutrient markers. It is built for men who want their symptoms and goals explained by data.
The panel is ordered online, drawn at a Quest or partner lab location, and read marker by marker by Atlas, FitScript's AI health advisor, against optimal ranges. A licensed clinician reviews what the numbers mean for the individual in front of them.
It measures ten groups of markers from one fasted blood sample, covering male sex hormones, prostate, thyroid, metabolic health, lipids, liver, kidney, blood count, inflammation and nutrients, and IGF-1. The design is deliberate, because sex hormones are moved by metabolic, thyroid and inflammatory status, and reading them alone tends to produce a confusing answer.
| Group | Markers | What they show |
|---|---|---|
| Male Hormones | Total Testosterone, Free Testosterone, SHBG, Estradiol (Sensitive), LH, FSH, DHEA-S, Prolactin, Cortisol (AM) | Hormone output, how much is available to tissue, and the pituitary and adrenal signals sitting behind it |
| Prostate | PSA (Free + Total) | A prostate marker that labs regard as a reference point for tracking men's health over time |
| Thyroid | TSH, Free T3, Free T4 | Thyroid signalling and circulating thyroid hormone, which overlap heavily with hormone-related symptoms |
| Metabolic | Fasting Glucose, Fasting Insulin, HbA1c, HOMA-IR, Uric Acid | Blood sugar control and insulin sensitivity across the short term and the past few months |
| Lipids | Total Cholesterol, LDL Cholesterol, HDL Cholesterol, Triglycerides | Circulating fats used in routine cardiometabolic risk assessment |
| Liver | AST, ALT, GGT | Liver enzymes that reflect liver workload or stress |
| Kidney | BUN, Creatinine, eGFR | Filtration capacity and waste clearance |
| Blood Count | WBC, RBC, Hemoglobin, Hematocrit, Platelets, MCV, Neutrophils, Lymphocytes | Red cell and white cell status, oxygen carrying capacity and the broad immune picture |
| Inflammation & Nutrients | hs-CRP, Homocysteine, Vitamin D (25-OH), Vitamin B12, Ferritin, Magnesium (RBC) | Low grade inflammation and nutrient status that influence energy, mood and recovery |
| Hormones | IGF-1 | A marker tied to growth hormone signalling, tissue repair and body composition |
Add-on panels can be run from the same sample, so a single draw can cover more ground when a member wants it.
Because one hormone value almost never explains itself, and the markers around it supply the missing context. Testosterone Total describes everything in circulation, but most of it travels bound to SHBG and albumin, so Testosterone Free represents the fraction generally regarded as available to tissue, and SHBG itself shifts with age, thyroid status and insulin 1. Two men with identical total testosterone can have quite different free values for that reason.
Luteinizing Hormone and FSH are the pituitary signals that drive the testes. Research suggests the pattern between the gonadotropins and testosterone is what helps separate a testicular origin from a pituitary or hypothalamic one, which is a distinction a clinician cannot make from testosterone alone 2. Prolactin and morning Cortisol sit further upstream, and raised prolactin or a heavy chronic cortisol load is associated with suppressed gonadotropin signalling 3. DHEA-S adds a view of adrenal androgen output, and sensitive estradiol matters because a portion of testosterone is converted to estradiol, which affects libido, mood and bone.
Thyroid markers earn their place for the same reason. TSH, Free T3 and Free T4 describe a system whose symptoms, fatigue, low drive, cold intolerance and weight change, look a great deal like the symptoms men attribute to testosterone. Metabolic markers close the loop, since Fasting Glucose, fasting insulin, HbA1c and HOMA-IR describe insulin sensitivity, and insulin resistance is associated with lower SHBG and lower measured testosterone. Liver, kidney, blood count and inflammation markers then show whether the body is in a state where hormone results can be read at face value.
This panel suits men who want a structured look at hormone and metabolic health rather than a single number. Common reasons include noticing changes in energy, libido, erectile function, sleep quality, mood, training recovery or body composition and wanting to see what the bloodwork says. Those symptoms are genuinely nonspecific, which is exactly why broad testing is useful, since studies indicate the same complaints arise from thyroid, metabolic, sleep and psychological causes as often as from low androgen levels 4.
Other people test for reasons that have nothing to do with symptoms. Men in their thirties and beyond often want a baseline while things feel fine, so later results have something to be compared against. Men with a family history of type 2 diabetes, thyroid disease, cardiovascular disease or prostate problems may want the metabolic, thyroid and PSA markers tracked alongside hormones. Men with a history of anabolic steroid use sometimes want to understand where their own production sits, since prior use is associated with lasting suppression of the hormonal axis 5.
It is also the testing done before any hormone treatment a clinician may consider, because baseline and follow-up bloodwork is part of how any licensed provider evaluates whether therapy is appropriate and how it is going 6. Nobody needs this panel. It is a tool for people who prefer measurement to assumption.
The process is short and mostly logistical. The panel is ordered online, and the lab requisition is emailed to the member. The draw happens at a Quest or partner lab location, with sites available nationwide, and it is a standard venous blood draw that takes a few minutes. A 12-hour fast before the draw is required so the metabolic markers read accurately.
Results come back in 3 to 5 business days. Atlas then reads every marker against optimal ranges, not only against the lab's standard reference interval, and explains what each group of markers appears to be showing and which values are worth raising with a clinician. Members on an ongoing membership have 150+ biomarkers tested per year, which turns single results into trend lines. A licensed provider decides on any treatment after reviewing the member.
Fast for 12 hours before the draw, drink plain water, and book the appointment for the morning where possible. Water is encouraged, because mild dehydration concentrates the blood and can nudge several values. Morning timing matters for sex hormones in particular, since testosterone follows a daily rhythm and clinical guidance is built around morning fasting samples 7. Morning cortisol has the same requirement for a comparable reason.
A few practical points help the sample behave. Avoid alcohol and hard training for about a day beforehand, since both can move liver enzymes, lipids and hormone readings. Biotin, found in many hair, skin and nail supplements, can interfere with some immunoassays including thyroid and hormone tests, so it is worth pausing high dose biotin before testing and telling the lab if it has been taken recently. Acute illness is a reason to reschedule rather than push through.
Keep taking prescribed medication as directed unless the prescribing clinician says otherwise. Bring a list of medications and supplements, because they are part of how the results get interpreted.
Read each value in three steps, what the number is, what it might reflect, and what is worth discussing with a clinician. Lab reference ranges describe the spread found in a tested population, and they vary by laboratory, assay, age and sex, which is why two labs can report the same sample against different intervals. Optimal ranges are narrower targets used for optimization rather than diagnostic cut-offs, and they are not a verdict on health.
One draw is a snapshot. Hormones move with sleep, illness, training load, alcohol, stress and time of day, so a single out of range value is a prompt to look closer rather than a conclusion. Clinical guidance leans on repeating a low or unexpected testosterone result on a separate morning before anyone draws inferences from it 7. The same caution applies to a one off PSA, cortisol or thyroid value.
Retesting cadence depends on what is being watched. Stable baselines are often rechecked once or twice a year, while anything actively being followed, or anyone a provider is following for a hormone treatment, is usually monitored more frequently, with markers such as hematocrit and PSA tracked alongside hormone levels 8. A value that sits well outside the standard range is worth discussing with a clinician promptly rather than filed away. No result here should be ignored, and none of it replaces a clinician's judgement.
It cannot diagnose anything. Blood markers describe chemistry at one moment, and a diagnosis comes from a clinician combining symptoms, history, examination and often further testing. Low measured testosterone with symptoms raises a question, it does not answer one, and research consistently frames diagnosis as a clinical process rather than a threshold crossing 2.
There are concrete gaps. Blood work does not image the pituitary gland, the testes or the prostate, so scans or ultrasound may be needed when results point that way. It does not include semen analysis, so it says little direct about fertility. It does not assess sleep apnoea, depression, medication effects or relationship and lifestyle factors, all of which shape the same symptoms men come in with. PSA is a tracking marker rather than a decision on its own, and it is interpreted by a clinician alongside age, examination and history.
It also will not tell you what to do next. Whether any therapy, prescription or otherwise, is appropriate is a judgement a licensed provider makes after reviewing the whole picture.
This panel is hormone focused with the supporting systems included, and the sibling panels widen the lens. Extended Men's Health covers a broader set of men's health markers for people who want more than the hormone core. FitScript Complete for Him is the widest option, suited to someone who wants a full baseline across more body systems in a single draw rather than a focused hormone read.
None of these is a better or worse choice in the abstract. The useful question is how specific the question is. A targeted hormone question is well served here, a general health baseline is better served by a wider panel, and add-on panels can run from the same sample either way. Each panel page lists exactly which markers it contains.
The Hormone Panel for Him costs $229. It is HSA and FSA eligible, so it can usually be paid for with those funds. That price covers the panel itself, the emailed requisition, the draw at a Quest or partner lab location, and the interpretation Atlas produces across every marker in the panel. This article is educational and is not medical advice.
It gives you the full picture: total testosterone, free testosterone (the amount your body can actually use), SHBG (which binds testosterone and reduces availability), estradiol (critical for managing TRT side effects), and LH/FSH (which tell you whether low T is coming from your brain or testes). Atlas AI scores the whole picture, not just one number.
Before 10am, fasted 10-12 hours. Testosterone peaks in the early morning and can drop 20-30% by afternoon. Morning fasted draws give you the most accurate, comparable results.
Yes. Any responsible provider needs baseline testosterone, estradiol, PSA, CBC (hematocrit), liver, and metabolic markers before prescribing testosterone. This panel covers all of it in one draw.
Atlas AI will flag it and show you exactly where you fall vs optimal ranges. You can discuss treatment options with a FitScript provider, TRT, enclomiphene, lifestyle optimization, or peptides depending on your full lab picture. The panel gives the data; the next step is a plan.
A hormone blood test for men measures the sex hormones in circulation and the pituitary signals that drive them, usually total and free testosterone, SHBG, estradiol, LH, FSH, DHEA-S, prolactin and morning cortisol. Thyroid and metabolic markers are often added, because they shift hormone readings and cause overlapping symptoms.
A testosterone panel blood test includes total testosterone and, in a useful version, free testosterone and SHBG, since most testosterone travels bound and unavailable to tissue. LH and FSH indicate whether a change is coming from the testes or the pituitary, and sensitive estradiol shows how much is being converted.
A male hormone panel typically includes total and free testosterone, SHBG, sensitive estradiol, LH, FSH, DHEA-S, prolactin and morning cortisol. Broader versions such as the Hormone Panel for Him add PSA, thyroid, metabolic, lipid, liver, kidney, blood count, inflammation and nutrient markers plus IGF-1, all from one fasted sample.
Yes. A 12-hour fast before the draw is required so fasting glucose, fasting insulin, HOMA-IR and the lipid markers read accurately. Plain water is encouraged during the fast, since mild dehydration concentrates the blood and can nudge several values.
Morning is preferred. Testosterone follows a daily rhythm and clinical guidance is built around morning fasting samples, and morning cortisol is defined by the same timing. Booking an early appointment also makes the overnight fast easier and keeps repeat tests comparable with each other.
Results come back in 3 to 5 business days after the draw. Atlas then reads every marker against optimal ranges as well as the standard lab reference intervals and explains what each group appears to show, including which values are worth raising with a clinician.
No. It measures the relevant markers, but a diagnosis comes from a clinician combining symptoms, history, examination and often repeat testing. A low or unexpected testosterone result is usually confirmed on a separate morning sample before anyone draws inferences from it, and treatment decisions belong to a licensed provider.
Some can. Biotin, common in hair, skin and nail products, can interfere with certain thyroid and hormone immunoassays, so pausing high dose biotin before testing and telling the lab about recent use is sensible. Keep taking prescribed medication as directed unless your clinician advises otherwise.
Yes. The Hormone Panel for Him costs $229 and is HSA and FSA eligible, so it can usually be paid for with those funds. That covers the emailed requisition, the draw at a Quest or partner lab location, and the interpretation across every marker included.