# FITNESS and NUTRITION FORUM > **CONFIDENTIAL** BLOOD TESTING and 5 Day STEROID CLEANSE! >  "Free Testesterone Level" any significant meaning?

## 38inflorida

Looking back over some of my past blood work I see I had asked for a testosterone check last year. The test I got back is for "Free Testosterone (direct)" with a result of 15.7 pg/ml. Normal range is 8.7 - 25.1 pg/ml.

Is this a meaningful test or is a total testosterone level test better?

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## MuscleScience

free test is the test that is not bound to a transport protein and is able to move into the muscle cells freely.

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## Coop77

Your free unbound testosterone level is what really matters, because only free test binds to androgen receptors. I think that's right - someone correct me if I'm wrong.

various factors can cause your free testosterone to be low, even if your total testosterone is normal or high, so it's probably a better test to have done.

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## Oki-Des

A buddy of mine recently said that his free test was high causing our hrt doc to question the last time he took AAS; even though his regular test levels were low. 
We both told our HRT doc that we did AAS previously, but my buddy said it had been about a year or more since last doing it. We both are also 38 and living in Florida. 
I just wanted to offer some additional information.

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## FireGuy

Lowering your SHBG can significantly raise your free levels. The free levels is "where the moneys at" as my Endo likes to put it.

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## marcus300

> Lowering your SHBG can significantly raise your free levels. The free levels is "where the moneys at" as my Endo likes to put it.


Agree with the above.

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## AcePowerZ

Testosterone lvls for a male should be between 300-1000 total.

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