Androgens are a group of hormones that drive sexual development, regulate body composition, and serve as building blocks for other hormones in both men and women. Testosterone is the most well-known androgen, but it’s one of several that your body produces throughout your life. Understanding what androgens do, where they come from, and what happens when levels are too high or too low can help you make sense of a wide range of health issues, from unexplained fatigue to irregular periods.
The Main Types of Androgens
Your body produces five key androgens, each with a distinct role:
- Testosterone: The primary androgen in all people, responsible for the most recognizable effects like muscle growth, body hair, and sex drive.
- Dihydrotestosterone (DHT): A more potent form of testosterone that binds to cells with roughly twice the strength. DHT plays a major role in skin, hair follicles, and prostate tissue.
- Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA): A precursor hormone, meaning your body uses it as raw material to manufacture testosterone and estrogen.
- DHEA sulfate (DHEAS): A stored form of DHEA that circulates in your blood at higher concentrations and can be converted into active hormones as needed.
- Androstenedione: Another precursor that sits one step away from testosterone in the production chain. It can also be converted into estrogen.
Most of these androgens function as intermediate steps in hormone production. DHEA, DHEAS, and androstenedione are important not so much for what they do directly, but because your body converts them into testosterone and estrogen depending on its needs.
Where Androgens Are Made
Three organs share the job of producing androgens. In men, the testicles are the primary source, generating the bulk of circulating testosterone. In women, the ovaries produce smaller but physiologically important amounts. Both sexes also rely on the adrenal glands, two small organs that sit on top of each kidney, to produce DHEA and androstenedione.
The adrenal contribution matters more than most people realize. These glands are the dominant source of DHEA and DHEAS in both men and women, and in women specifically, adrenal androgens account for a significant share of total androgen activity. The adrenal cortex contains all the enzymatic machinery needed to convert cholesterol into steroid hormones, making it a versatile hormone factory that produces not just androgens but also cortisol and other stress hormones.
How Androgens Work Inside Your Cells
Androgens don’t just float through your bloodstream producing effects at random. They work by entering a cell and binding to a specific protein called the androgen receptor. In the absence of an androgen, this receptor sits inactive in the cell’s main compartment, held in check by chaperone proteins that keep it dormant.
When testosterone or DHT enters a cell and latches onto the receptor, the receptor changes shape, sheds its chaperone proteins, and travels into the nucleus where your DNA is stored. Once there, it pairs up with another activated receptor and attaches to specific stretches of DNA, switching certain genes on or off. This is how androgens can reshape tissues over time: they literally change which proteins a cell produces, influencing everything from muscle fiber thickness to hair follicle behavior. The process takes hours to days, which is why androgen-driven changes like muscle growth or hair loss happen gradually rather than overnight.
What Androgens Do in Men
Androgens shape male development from the womb onward. During fetal life, testosterone drives the formation of male reproductive anatomy. In infancy, a brief surge of androgens influences early growth patterns. But the most visible effects arrive at puberty, when rising testosterone levels trigger the development of secondary sexual characteristics: a deeper voice, facial and body hair, broadening of the shoulders, and a growth spurt.
Beyond puberty, androgens continue to play essential roles in adult men. They maintain bone density, stimulate red blood cell production, preserve muscle mass, and regulate fat distribution. Testosterone is also central to sperm production and sex drive. These aren’t one-time effects. Your body needs a steady supply of androgens throughout adulthood to maintain these functions, which is why declining levels with age can produce noticeable changes.
What Androgens Do in Women
Women produce roughly one-tenth to one-twentieth the testosterone that men do, but that smaller amount is far from insignificant. In women of reproductive age, a healthy testosterone range falls between about 20 and 50 ng/dL, compared to several hundred ng/dL in men. Normal DHEAS levels in women range from about 0.5 to 2.8 µg/mL.
At these levels, androgens support bone strength, contribute to muscle maintenance, and help regulate mood and energy. They also play a critical role as precursors to estrogen. Your ovaries and other tissues convert androgens like androstenedione and testosterone into estrogen through a process called aromatization. This means androgens aren’t just “male hormones” acting in a female body. They’re essential ingredients in the production of the hormones most associated with female reproductive health.
When Androgen Levels Are Too High
Excess androgens in women can cause visible and frustrating symptoms. The most common include hirsutism (coarse hair growth on the face, chest, or back in a typically male pattern), acne, and thinning hair on the scalp. Hirsutism alone affects 60 to 70% of women with polycystic ovary syndrome, or PCOS, the most common condition associated with elevated androgens in women.
PCOS is typically diagnosed when a woman has at least two of the following three features: signs of high androgens (either visible symptoms or elevated blood levels), irregular or absent ovulation, and a characteristic appearance of the ovaries on ultrasound. Other conditions that can raise androgens must be ruled out first, but PCOS accounts for the vast majority of cases. The hormonal imbalance can also contribute to difficulty getting pregnant, weight gain, and insulin resistance.
When Androgen Levels Are Too Low
In men, low testosterone, a condition called hypogonadism, produces a recognizable cluster of symptoms. Early signs often include reduced sex drive, low energy, and depressed mood. As levels drop further, men may notice loss of bone mass, growth of breast tissue, difficulty concentrating, and even hot flashes similar to those experienced during menopause.
Testosterone levels in healthy young men (ages 19 to 39) typically fall in a free testosterone range of about 120 to 368 pg/mL. These levels naturally decline starting in a man’s 30s, dropping at a rate of roughly 0.2 to 1% per year for total testosterone and 2 to 3% per year for the biologically active fraction. This gradual decline means that by a man’s 60s or 70s, testosterone levels may be substantially lower than in his 20s, though the rate of decline varies considerably from person to person.
In women, androgen deficiency is harder to define because testing methods are less standardized at the lower concentrations involved. Nonetheless, symptoms like persistent fatigue, low libido, and reduced sense of well-being, particularly after menopause or surgical removal of the ovaries, are sometimes attributed to insufficient androgen levels.
Factors That Influence Androgen Levels
Age is the most predictable factor, but it’s not the only one. Body weight has a significant effect: obesity in men is associated with lower testosterone, while in women it can raise androgen levels and worsen conditions like PCOS. Chronic stress increases cortisol production from the same adrenal glands that make DHEA, and prolonged stress can shift the balance of adrenal hormone output. Sleep deprivation, even over just a few nights, can measurably reduce testosterone in men.
Certain medications also alter androgen levels. Hormonal contraceptives lower free testosterone in women, which is partly why they’re used to manage acne and hirsutism. Corticosteroid medications can suppress adrenal androgen production. And in men, opioid pain medications are a well-recognized cause of low testosterone with prolonged use.