This test measures the amount of androstenedione in the blood. An androstenedione test is often performed after results of other tests, such as testosterone or 17-hydroxyprogesterone, are found to be abnormal.
Androstenedione is an endogenous androgen steroid hormone and intermediate in the biosynthesis of estrone and of testosterone from dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA). It is closely related to androstenediol. Androstenedione has been found to possess some estrogenic activity, similarly to other DHEA metabolites. However, in contrast to androstenediol, its affinity for the estrogen receptors is very low.
DHEA is not androgenic per se, in that it does not bind to cellular androgen receptors like testosterone and DHT, but it is a precursor for androstenedione, which then converts to testosterone.
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Androstenedione is produced by the ovaries in women, the testicles in men, and by the adrenal glands in both.
Androstenedione is an androgen, one of several “male” sex hormones that are responsible for the onset of sexual differentiation in males and females and the development of secondary male physical characteristics such as a deep voice and facial hair. Though it is considered to be a “male” sex hormone, it is present in the blood of both men and women and is a precursor that can be converted by the body into more potent androgens, such as testosterone, or converted into the female hormone estrogen.
The pituitary hormone LH stimulates the release of androstenedione by the ovaries and testicles.
The pituitary hormone adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) stimulates the release of androstenedione by the adrenal glands.
The level of androstenedione in the blood will vary during the day in a “diurnal pattern,” and it will vary during a woman’s menstrual cycle. Because of its origins, androstenedione can be useful as a marker of adrenal gland function, of androgen production, and of the function of the ovaries or testicles.
Androstenedione LCMS
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