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Blood Test Tracker

Dihydrotestosterone (DHT)

A strong androgen made from testosterone, mostly inside tissues such as the prostate, skin and hair follicles. It is a specialist test.

AI-verified against cited sources. Awaiting expert reviewAlso called DHT, 5α-DHTLOINC 1848-1

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What it is

Dihydrotestosterone (DHT) is an androgen the body makes when an enzyme called 5-alpha-reductase converts testosterone. DHT binds to the androgen receptor more strongly than testosterone does, so it has a big effect in tissues such as the prostate, skin and hair follicles. Much of it is made and used inside those tissues, and only some reaches the blood. In men, blood DHT is about 7 to 10 times lower than testosterone.

Why it matters

A blood DHT test is a specialist test. Clinicians may order it to check how a 5-alpha-reductase inhibitor medicine is working, or to look into a rare inherited condition in which the body cannot make DHT well (5-alpha-reductase deficiency). It does not reliably show what is happening in the prostate or on the scalp, because research finds that DHT levels inside tissues are largely independent of blood levels. It is usually read along with testosterone.

If it’s low

A low DHT is expected if you take a 5-alpha-reductase inhibitor, a type of medicine used for prostate enlargement or male-pattern hair loss, because it blocks the conversion of testosterone to DHT. Low testosterone also lowers DHT, and levels are naturally very low in young children. Rarely, an inherited problem with the 5-alpha-reductase enzyme is the cause. Blood DHT does not show how much DHT is in the prostate or scalp.

Common causes

  • 5-alpha-reductase inhibitor medicines, such as finasteride and dutasteride
  • Low testosterone production (male hypogonadism)
  • Childhood before puberty
  • Rarely, 5-alpha-reductase deficiency, an inherited condition

What can help

  • Share all your medicines with your clinician, including those for the prostate or hair loss
  • Ask whether your testosterone should be checked too
  • Ask whether the result changes anything about your plan

If it’s high

A high DHT result most often follows testosterone treatment or products that contain DHT, because the body converts testosterone into DHT. A review of the research found that modest rises seen with testosterone treatment have not been linked to problems, but your clinician decides what a result means for you. Some test methods can also read too high.

Common causes

  • Testosterone treatment
  • DHT gel or other DHT products
  • Higher testosterone from other causes
  • A test method that cross-reacts with similar hormones, such as some immunoassays

What can help

  • Tell your clinician about any testosterone, steroid or hormone products you use
  • Ask whether your result came from a mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) test
  • Ask how your DHT fits with your testosterone result

Usual ranges

What labs print as the reference range, by who was tested. Ranges differ a little between labs, so the range on your own report is the one your result is judged against.

The usual range depends on sex. Choose women or men to see the one that applies.

What can affect your result

  • Sex and age: levels are higher in adult men, lower in women and very low before puberty
  • Testosterone level, since DHT is made from testosterone and the two track each other closely
  • Testosterone treatment, DHT products and 5-alpha-reductase inhibitor medicines
  • Test method: mass spectrometry is more specific than immunoassays, and labs set different ranges
  • Methods that do not separate DHT from similar hormones, such as direct immunoassays, tend to read too high. Mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) is the most accurate method (Swerdloff 2017).
  • 5-alpha-reductase inhibitor medicines lower DHT on purpose (Mayo). Tell whoever reads your result what you take.
  • Testosterone treatment raises DHT, usually modestly, and DHT products raise it much more (Swerdloff 2017).
  • Results from different labs and methods should not be compared directly, because intervals differ.

The lab sources reviewed list no set time. If your clinician is also checking testosterone, they may ask for a morning sample. It follows your testosterone level and any 5-alpha-reductase medicine, so it can shift soon after a treatment change. Your clinician decides when to recheck.

When to talk to a clinician

Talk with a clinician if you notice new loss of sex drive, erection problems or breast tenderness (men), or fast-growing facial or body hair, a deepening voice or missed periods (women). For children, talk with a pediatric clinician if puberty starts unusually early or seems very late, or if genital development looks different than expected.

Questions you could ask

  • Why was this test ordered, and how will the result change my care?
  • Could a hormone product or supplement I use explain this?
  • Was this measured with a mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) test?
  • Could a medicine I take for my prostate or hair explain this?
  • Should my testosterone be checked too?

Questions people ask

Does my blood DHT predict hair loss or an enlarged prostate?

Not reliably. Reviews of the research find that DHT levels inside tissues like the prostate are largely independent of the level in blood, so a blood result does not show what is happening in the tissue. A clinician looks at symptoms and other findings as well.

Why do labs report DHT in different units?

Many US labs use ng/dL, some labs report pg/mL and many labs outside the US use nmol/L. 1 ng/dL equals 10 pg/mL. To convert ng/dL to nmol/L, multiply by 0.0344.

Will testosterone treatment change my DHT?

Often it raises DHT somewhat, because the body converts some testosterone into DHT. A 2017 review concluded that modest rises with testosterone treatment are not a concern in clinical practice. Your clinician follows your own results.

Show the science and sources

Units

  • 1 ng/dL = 1 ng/dL
  • 1 ng/dL = 0.03444 nmol/L
  • 1 ng/dL = 10 pg/mL
  • 1 ng/dL = 0.01 ng/mL

Open the DHT unit converter

For clinicians and researchers

DHT is formed irreversibly from testosterone by 5-alpha-reductase types 1 and 2 (SRD5A1, SRD5A2), mainly in peripheral target tissues. Circulating DHT in eugonadal men is roughly 7 to 10 times lower than testosterone and correlates with it (r about 0.7), and intracellular androgen concentrations in tissues such as the prostate are essentially independent of circulating levels (Swerdloff 2017). LC-MS/MS is the most accurate method. Older RIA and ELISA methods without chromatographic cleanup overestimated DHT compared with LC-MS/MS, by up to 25% to 40% in some comparisons (Swerdloff 2017). Published LC-MS/MS adult male intervals include 14-77 ng/dL (men 18-59), 14-92 ng/dL (men 71-87) and Mayo's 11-95 ng/dL cited in that review. Labcorp's HPLC-MS/MS intervals are 30-85 ng/dL (men) and 4-22 ng/dL (women), and Mayo (as shown on the UW Medicine test guide) lists 112-955 pg/mL for men older than 19 and up to 300 pg/mL for women 20-55 (up to 128 pg/mL above 55). Mayo notes that men with benign prostatic hyperplasia or prostate cancer may not have elevated DHT. Mayo lists monitoring 5-alpha-reductase inhibitor therapy and evaluating possible 5-alpha-reductase deficiency as uses. Conversion: ng/dL x 0.0344 = nmol/L, and 1 ng/dL = 10 pg/mL.

LOINC 1848-1 (primary), 15057-3, 35189-0. Specimen: serum.

Sources

  1. Endocrinology Expected Values and S.I. Unit Conversion Tables, Labcorp (Endocrine Sciences specialty testing) (2021)
  2. Dihydrotestosterone, Serum (Mayo Clinic Laboratories test DHTS), UW Medicine Laboratory Test Guide, UW Medicine Laboratory Medicine and Pathology (reproducing Mayo Clinic Laboratories information)
  3. Dihydrotestosterone: Biochemistry, Physiology, and Clinical Implications of Elevated Blood Levels, Endocrine Reviews (2017)
  4. Dihydrotestosterone (PubChem compound 10635), PubChem (National Library of Medicine)

AI-verified against cited sources. Awaiting expert review. Last reviewed 2026-10-03. How we build and check these pages.

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