Free testosterone is the small share of your testosterone that isn't bound to proteins in the blood, so it's the part your tissues can use. It can tell a different story from total testosterone, especially when SHBG, the protein that binds it, is high or low. For men the lab range is 260 to 740 pmol/L, and we aim for 350 to 740 pmol/L up to age 60, while women run much lower, at 3 to 37 pmol/L. Free testosterone is in the Male Hormone Health Test ($199) and the Perimenopause and Menopause Hormone Tests ($299 each), using your Baseline blood draw, and Medicare doesn't rebate it.
Free testosterone is included in Vively's Male Hormone Health Test and, for women, the Female Hormone Health Test. You start with your Baseline Health Check, then add the hormone test that fits you.
Every marker in range? Get your $99 back. T&Cs apply.Want to save 25%? Try our 4-Month Reset insteadFree testosterone is the testosterone in your blood that isn't bound to any protein, so it can move straight into cells and switch on androgen receptors. It is a small slice of your total, usually about 1 to 3%, and it is the part your tissues can use immediately. Men and women both have it, in very different amounts.
The rest is bound to proteins, tightly to sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) and loosely to albumin. Our bioavailable testosterone page explains the albumin-bound share and why SHBG matters so much.
Many Australian labs calculate free testosterone from your total testosterone, SHBG and albumin, often with the Vermeulen equation, because direct measurement (equilibrium dialysis) is slow and mostly done in specialist labs.
A free testosterone test shows whether your tissues are getting enough testosterone, which a total testosterone result alone can miss when SHBG is unusually high or low.
For men, free testosterone is the most useful companion to total testosterone. Two men can have the same total of 12 nmol/L, but the one with high SHBG has much less free, so low free testosterone can sit behind tiredness, low libido, erectile changes or loss of muscle even when the total looks fine.
For women, free testosterone helps check for androgen excess, as seen in polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). It is read alongside the free androgen index (FAI), a simpler ratio of total testosterone to SHBG.
Normal does not always mean optimal. A low-normal result in a 35-year-old man sleeping five hours a night tells a different story from the same number in a well-rested 70-year-old.
For adult men, free testosterone is usually 260 to 740 pmol/L. For adult women it is much lower, usually 3 to 37 pmol/L. Each lab sets its own range, so check the one printed on your report.
| Range | |
|---|---|
| Typical lab reference range (adult men) | 260 to 740 pmol/L |
| Vively optimal range (men) | 350 to 740 pmol/L |
| Typical lab reference range (adult women) | 3 to 37 pmol/L |
| Vively optimal range (women) | No separate optimal range. We read your result with FAI, SHBG, your cycle and symptoms |
Optimal ranges are what we aim for to support long-term health, not diagnostic cut-offs.
In women, high free testosterone most often points to PCOS. In men, it usually means testosterone is coming from outside the body, such as prescribed therapy or anabolic steroids.
Common reasons in women:
Less common causes include non-classic congenital adrenal hyperplasia (an inherited adrenal condition) and, rarely, an androgen-producing tumour, which tends to cause fast-developing symptoms such as a deepening voice.
For men, a high-normal result without any testosterone or steroid use is rarely a worry. Therapy and anabolic steroids push levels up and shut down your own production.
In men, low free testosterone is often linked to things you can change, such as excess weight, poor sleep and heavy drinking. A result that stays low on repeat morning tests needs a GP to look for a hormone problem.
Common reasons in men:
Medical causes include problems with the testes, such as Klinefelter syndrome or past chemotherapy, and problems with the brain's signal to them, such as a pituitary condition, high prolactin or iron overload. LH and FSH help tell these apart.
In women, low free testosterone is common and rarely acted on by itself. The combined pill, oral oestrogen and breastfeeding lower it, levels drift down with age, and removal of the ovaries lowers them sharply. International guidance doesn't use a testosterone blood level to diagnose low libido in women.
Time of day, cycle timing, the pill and anything that changes SHBG can shift free testosterone.
Do you need to fast? Not strictly, but a pre-breakfast morning sample is preferred, as a meal can briefly lower testosterone. With your Baseline, you'll be fasting anyway.
Free testosterone makes most sense next to total testosterone, SHBG and your pituitary and metabolic markers. For SHBG-driven patterns, see bioavailable testosterone.
| Pattern | What it can mean |
|---|---|
| Low total and free testosterone in a man, with high LH and FSH | The testes may not be responding to the brain's signal. Needs GP review. |
| Low total and free testosterone in a man, with low or normal LH and FSH | The brain's signal may be low, from weight, illness, sleep apnoea, opioids or a pituitary issue. Needs GP review. |
| Low free testosterone with high triglycerides, a large waist or high HbA1c | Weight and insulin resistance may be lowering testosterone. Often improves with weight loss. |
| High free testosterone and FAI in a woman, with low SHBG and high fasting insulin | A pattern often seen in PCOS with insulin resistance. |
For men with low-normal free testosterone, weight, sleep and alcohol are the biggest levers. Lifestyle won't fix a testicular or pituitary problem.
See your GP if your free testosterone is below your lab's range on two morning tests, or if you have low libido, erectile problems, breast tenderness or enlargement, or fertility concerns.
See your GP promptly if a low result comes with headaches or vision changes, which can point to a pituitary issue. Women should see a GP for rapid hair growth, a deepening voice, no periods for three months without pregnancy, or a very high result. If you use testosterone or anabolic steroids, your GP should monitor your bloods.
Free testosterone is included in our Male and Female Hormone Health Tests, Perimenopause and Menopause Hormone Tests, Weight Management Test and Full Body Health Check. You start with your Baseline Health Check and add the test that suits you. Exact markers can depend on the referring doctor's review.
We arrange your referral through our GP network, and you have one blood draw at one of 3,700+ accredited partner collection centres: early morning for men, day 2 to 5 for women who are cycling. Results arrive in the app, usually within a few days, read against optimal ranges. Your practitioner walks you through them, we build a personalised plan, and you retest to track change.
Order the Male Hormone Health Test, or the Female Hormone Health Test for women.
No, not strictly, but a morning sample before breakfast is best, as a meal can briefly lower testosterone. If your test is done with Vively's Baseline, you'll fast overnight anyway for glucose and insulin. Drink water as usual and take your usual medicines unless told otherwise.
Men should test early in the morning, ideally before 10am, when testosterone is highest. Afternoon results can look falsely low, and a low result needs confirming with a second morning test. Women who are cycling should test on day 2 to 5.
For a man, yes, it is below the typical range of 260 to 740 pmol/L. One result isn't enough to diagnose low testosterone. Repeat it as an early morning test, and look at SHBG, LH, FSH, sleep, weight and symptoms. If it stays low, see your GP.
Total testosterone counts everything, including the large share bound to SHBG and albumin. Free testosterone is only the unbound share, about 1 to 3% of the total, that tissues can use straight away. Free can be low when total looks normal, usually because SHBG is high.
Many blood tests can be Medicare-funded when a doctor orders them for a clinical reason. With Vively, we arrange the referral through our GP network, so you don't need a separate GP visit before your hormone test. You start with your Baseline Health Check and add the hormone test that suits you.
Among 1,886 Vively members tested in 2024 to 2026, women aged 40 to 49 had a median free testosterone of 8.0 pmol/L (middle half 5.8 to 11.0). Men the same age: 340.0 pmol/L. The lab range is 3.0 to 37.0 pmol/L for women and 260.0 to 740.0 pmol/L for men. A member median is not a target.
The line is the median member at each age. The shaded bands show where most members sit. The dashed red lines are the lab range.
| Group (pmol/L) | Members | Median | Middle 50% | 5th to 95th percentile | Lab range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Women 18 to 29 | 69 | 12.3 | 8.0 to 16.0 | 5.0 to 25.6 | 3.0 to 37.0 |
| Women 30 to 39 | 304 | 9.0 | 6.7 to 12.2 | 4.1 to 21.5 | 3.0 to 37.0 |
| Women 40 to 49 | 394 | 8.0 | 5.8 to 11.0 | 3.0 to 19.0 | 3.0 to 37.0 |
| Women 50 to 59 | 285 | 8.5 | 5.6 to 12.0 | 3.0 to 20.0 | 3.0 to 37.0 |
| Women 60 and over | 123 | 8.0 | 5.4 to 11.0 | 3.3 to 17.0 | 3.0 to 37.0 |
| Men 18 to 29 | 75 | 396.0 | 323.0 to 472.9 | 133.0 to 1,065.0 | 260.0 to 740.0 |
| Men 30 to 39 | 205 | 369.0 | 291.9 to 436.0 | 201.4 to 605.1 | 260.0 to 740.0 |
| Men 40 to 49 | 244 | 340.0 | 275.3 to 406.6 | 199.0 to 577.0 | 260.0 to 740.0 |
| Men 50 to 59 | 125 | 336.2 | 276.0 to 384.0 | 162.9 to 545.1 | 260.0 to 740.0 |
| Men 60 and over | 62 | 291.5 | 223.0 to 352.0 | 154.0 to 424.0 | 260.0 to 740.0 |
Pick your sex and age, then type your result.
What is a normal free testosterone level for my age?
Among 1,886 Vively members (first blood test, January 2024 to October 2026), the median free testosterone for women was 12.3 pmol/L at 18 to 29, 9.0 at 30 to 39, 8.0 at 40 to 49, 8.5 at 50 to 59 and 8.0 at 60 and over. For men it was 396.0 pmol/L at 18 to 29, 369.0 at 30 to 39, 340.0 at 40 to 49, 336.2 at 50 to 59 and 291.5 at 60 and over.
The lab range is 3.0 to 37.0 pmol/L for women and 260.0 to 740.0 pmol/L for men. A member median is not a target or a diagnosis. If your result is outside the range on your report, talk to your GP.
How to get it: Available as one of our specialty add-on tests. Your test referral is issued straight away when you order. See how a blood test without a referral works.
Add-on test: Testosterone Test
Related tests: FSH, LH (Luteinising Hormone) and FSH (Follicle-Stimulating Hormone), Free Androgen Index (FAI), DHEA
What your result means: What your testosterone results can mean
What your result means: What your hormone results can mean
Guide: Testosterone levels in men by age, including free testosterone by age.
Guide: Testosterone levels in women by age, with Vively member data.
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