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Saliva Testing of Testosterone is standard

this study looked at salivary testosterone to serum testosterone and found poor correlation.  One major problem with this study is the significantly smaller amount (10 fold) of testosterone in women than men in healthy individuals.  This study took place in postmenopausal women, which would have significantly lower levels than healthy women.  They also don't discuss the pitfalls of equilibrium dialysis of serum free testosterone.  Another major flaw is the mere logic of looking at serum for tissue activity.   What is the correlation between serum levels and tissue activity.  There is tremendous assumptions being undertaken that serum levels of testosterone whether total or free translate to genomic or non-genomic signaling.  I also wonder if newer techniques using Mass Spec can better detect the typically pico levels of testosterone in women's saliva?  This study does nothing to dissuade the use of salivary testing.

Study used saliva to measure Testosterone levels in men.  Testosterone levels were inversely associated with age, but positively associated with CAG repeat sequences in the AR.

nice and short review on testosterone and men's  health.

Since when did one medium of evaluation become the only standard.  Since serum T has been the historical standard, that is the only window of evaluation??  This study points to higher free Testosterone levels in saliva versus serum. Has anyone ever thought that we are merely looking through different windows of the same process.  Each window here, serum and saliva, are merely giving us different information on hormones.  That doesn't make one right or wrong, it just requires interpretation.  Science is about being objective! Saliva is the best means to evaluate intracellular hormone levels.  These levels should be different than serum.  Why should anyone think that the total levels would correlate with that delivered to a cell.  Think.

this article looked at normal testosterone rhythm  via saliva.  Normal testosterone peaks in am and is lowest in pm. The normal testosterone rhythm decreases as a man ages.  This is similar results as seen in serum.

Fantastic article on the review of the clinical use of saliva testing.  Of note, is the extensive documentation of the validation studies of hormone saliva testing.  Clearly, if a physician is against saliva testing, it is because of a lack of knowledge on the subject.

the standard technique of "free testosterone" calculation today is via equilibrium dialysis.  This article describes the problem with current evaluation techniques of current free testosterone evaluation: "this method, although sensitive and reproducible, is cumbersome and not easily adaptable to automated methods".  Most values of "free testosterone" today are either calculated or estimated as this article points out.  Why not just measure with saliva?!

MS-LS show to be highly sensitive in the dual identification of testosterone and cortisol in saliva. These hormones were found to be stable up to 28 days at room temperature. This disproves the argument that saliva, as a test medium, has a very short shelf life.

validation of saliva testing in animals.  The point is saliva testing for Testosterone is valid.

This study reviewed two studies and both validated salivary testosterone as a method of testing. The statistical significance was very high. Additionally, they found a 47% decline in testosterone over the study lifespan of a man. So, again, what is the opposition to saliva testing? The only thing I can think of is resistance to change and/or lack of education. As a scientist, neither is acceptable.

Small study looking at testosterone in men with ED.  They found "serum total testosterone level is not a sensitivity indicator for detection of hypogonadism".  Salivary free testosterone levels is the best way to evaluate androgen levels.

Opinion publication recommends total Testosterone as primary means of evaluating Testosterone.  This recommendation relies on the use of immunoassay techniques which can lack specificity compared to newer LC/MS and GC/MS techniques.  The authors did recommend using salivary Testosterone when borderline and SHBG variables play in, which happens to be most clients I see.  The best approach is to use both simultaneously to give a more clear physiologic picture to start.

Meta analysis of salivary Testosterone and cortisol finds mixed results.  The results are by no means uniform, but resistance training appears to trend to an increased salivary Testosterone and salivary Testosterone to salivary cortisol ratio.  Cardio trends the opposite.  This fits with prior literature on the types of exercise and hormone results.

Another study supports saliva hormone testing.  This study involved 2,722 individuals and tested estradiol, progesterone, DHEA and testosterone in men and women.  All of these are sex hormones.  Someone needs to tell the insurance companies that the overwhelming evidence supports saliva hormone testing.  But, that would mean they are even interested in the science.

this study looked at salivary testosterone and cortisol in exercise recovery.  They found a low T/C ratio in this athletes.  This is a catabolic state.  A normalization of the a low T/C ratio will increase muscle recovery and should improve performance.  Testing was with saliva

salivary testosterone testing validated

Study finds variations in calculated free testosterone.  Most of the variability is from the total testosterone, lesser due to the formulas, and third to the SHBG assay.  The point here, is there are too many variables to place a lot of weight on calculated free T in serum. Jus test it in the saliva.

Testosterone shown to improve GLUT 4 and IRS-1 expression with low dose short term therapy; in contrast, high dose, prolonged therapy shown to down regulate IRS-1 and GLUT 4 expression.  This shows the importance of using saliva for evaluation versus serum.  Serum testing routinely leads to over treatment with high dosages of testosterone.