What is the normal level of testosterone a man should have?
Your seemingly simple question requires some complicated explaining and then the final conclusion is, “It Depends.” You see, there are two types of testosterone floating around in a guy’s bloodstream and three ways of measuring it. Bound testosterone is hitching a ride on a protein molecule, such as albumin or globulin and is inactive; that is, it could spring into action at any time — but not right now. Free testosterone, on the other hand, is unattached and on the prowl. You’ve probably already guessed that there are far fewer of those free-spirited types than there are of the bound, a ratio of 5:95 or about 5% of total testosterone. But it’s these few free 5% that drive the sex drive. If a man (and an occasional woman) is concerned about a *really* sluggish sex drive he (or she) may request blood tests. However, a total testosterone level (bound and free combined) reading can be misleading. The bound and free levels need to be separated out to get the clearest picture of what is re
