Testosterone (total, men)
Last reviewed 25 August 2026 · Evidence-graded review — see Methodology
Serum total testosterone, ideally drawn fasting in the morning and confirmed on a second sample if the first comes back low. It affects muscle mass, bone density, libido, mood and erythropoiesis, and low levels are linked to reduced quality of life and, observationally, higher cardiometabolic risk. The distance between diagnosing hypogonadism and “optimising” a normal result is where most of the longevity marketing operates.
Lincoff AM, Bhasin S, Flevaris P, et al. (TRAVERSE) “Cardiovascular Safety of Testosterone-Replacement Therapy.” N Engl J Med 2023;389:107–117 randomised 5,246 hypogonadal men with symptoms and cardiovascular risk to testosterone gel or placebo. Testosterone was non-inferior for major adverse cardiac events, resolving a long-standing safety question, though nonfatal arrhythmia including atrial fibrillation was more frequent on treatment. Endocrine Society guidelines recommend testing only in men with symptoms of hypogonadism plus a confirmed low level — not as a routine screen in asymptomatic men.
Lincoff AM, et al. N Engl J Med. 2023. PubMed: PMID 37326322 · Full cost breakdown & who should test →
Singapore guidance
Not covered in the current review
Singapore’s national screening committee has not reviewed this test in the current volume of its report, which covers nine conditions. That is not a verdict either way.
Source: Screening Test Review Committee report 2026, Volume 1 (Academy of Medicine Singapore and Ministry of Health, February 2026). The full national list · How this is used.
What you would actually pay
- Healthier SG
- Not subsidised
- MediSave
- Not among the screenings named for outpatient claims
Source: Healthier SG Screening (HealthHub) and MediSave outpatient care (Ministry of Health). Absence from either list is not a statement that the test is discouraged — only that no subsidy or claim applies. Gross prices compared.
What it costs when it is wrong
- Basis
- No published harm criterion found
- Severity
- Not documented
Not covered in the current volume of the committee’s report, so no harm criterion was found either way.
An empty finding, not a clean bill of health: this means nothing documented was found for this test. It is not a claim that the test is safe.
Screening harm is not only a laboratory question: the committee’s own criteria advise against a test when “the screening test, or follow-up tests arising from a positive screen, are associated with significant medical risks”. Sources on overdiagnosis → · How this is graded.
Singapore pricing. We have a full price breakdown for this test, using checked 2026 figures from named providers — read the price guide →
FAQ
Is the Testosterone (total, men) worth doing in Singapore?
Judged for screening an asymptomatic adult, Testosterone (total, men) grades moderate on our rubric. It is most appropriate for symptomatic men (low libido, fatigue, erectile dysfunction, loss of muscle mass) or conditions associated with hypogonadism. It typically costs S$30.60–38.15 in Singapore. It is ordered on symptoms only — not a routine annual test.
Weighing this against something else? Compare it with two other tests → · Price it inside a panel →