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The bloodwork is the treatment.

Testosterone itself is not complicated. What separates a safe program from a dangerous one is whether anyone is reading your labs — before you start, and on a schedule afterwards.

Testosterone therapy can be very safe when it's prescribed appropriately, monitored carefully, and tailored to the individual. Good outcomes come from careful evaluation, appropriate dosing, and consistent follow-up.

Peter O'Brien, NP

What we watch, and why

PSA

Prostate

Testosterone does not cause prostate cancer. But a man who already has it shouldn't start, so PSA is checked at baseline and tracked afterwards.

Hemoglobin and hematocrit

Red blood cell concentration

Testosterone therapy can increase hemoglobin and hematocrit, which are measures related to your red blood cell concentration. These levels are monitored regularly because a significant increase may require an adjustment in treatment or further evaluation.

Estrogen

Balance

Some testosterone converts to estrogen. How much varies a lot between men, and it's part of why dosing is individual rather than standard.

Total and free testosterone

What's there, and what's available

Total testosterone reflects the overall amount in your bloodstream, while free testosterone represents the portion readily available for your body to use. Both are important, but treatment is not based on chasing a specific number alone. Lab results are considered alongside your symptoms, how you feel, your response to treatment, and other relevant health markers when making dosing decisions.

Liver enzymes

Safety

General safety monitoring alongside everything else.

The sequence

  • Baseline labs before anything is prescribed
  • Proper dosing, set against your numbers rather than a default
  • Follow-up labs on a schedule
  • Symptom tracking — how you actually feel, not just the panel
  • Ongoing blood monitoring for as long as you're on treatment

Miss any of those and it stops being a medical program.

Where you get drawn

You'll get an order for Quest and go to a location near you. Results come back to Peter, and the two of you look at them together before anything changes.

Lab work is billed separately by the laboratory and is not included in the monthly fee.

It starts with a blood draw, not a prescription.

And if the numbers don't support treatment, we'll say so.

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