Androsterone and Etiocholanolone are DHEA metabolites via Androstenedione and the 5α- and 5β-reductase pathways. These androgens allow assessment of 5α-reductase activity. Normal metabolites may be a better indicator of androgen status in a patient with low DHEA and/or testosterone.
A higher Androsterone level and low to normal Etiocholanolone level would indicate that the preferred pathway is 5a. The 5a pathway is more androgenic.
Causes of low Androsterone levels:
- Declines as DHEA declines
- adrenal insufficiency
- anorexia nervosa
- panhypopituitarism
Understand and improve your laboratory results with our health dashboard.
Upload your lab reports and get your interpretation today.
Our technology helps to understand, combine, track, organize, and act on your medical lab test results.
If Androsterone is elevated and Etiocholanalone is relatively low, the metabolism will tend to favor towards the alpha metabolism pathway. Alpha metabolites are more androgenic and beta metabolites are less androgenic.
When testosterone pushes towards DHT it has to go down the 5-alpha metabolite pathway. This can be the case in a female with, for example, PCOS. In this situation there is typically an insulin issue which pushes towards 5-alpha. When testosterone gets into the cellular space (ex. hair follicle or skin) it will shift towards DHT (via the 5-alpha pathway). DHT happens to be 3-times more potent than testosterone. In these women symptoms of high androgen, such as thinning scalp hair, facial hair growth or acne can often show.
- Androsterone is a DHEA metabolite via the 5α-reductase pathway.
- 5α-metabolism makes androgens more potent, most notably 5α-DHT is the most potent testosterone metabolite.
High levels are often seen in PCOS or over-supplementation.
Possible symptoms:
- Acne, mild.
- decrease or increase in sexual desire or drive.
- hair loss or thinning of hair.
- increase in pubic hair growth.
- infection, pain, redness, or other irritation at site of injection.
- stomach pain.
- trouble in sleeping.
Other causes of high Androsterone levels:
- DHEA, pregnenalone supplementation
- Androgen producing gonadal tumors
- Congenital adrenal hyperplasia
- Adult onset adrenal hyperplasia
- Serious illness/ shock - burns, etc.
If both Androsterone AND Etiocholanolone are high there is most likely too much DHEA producted. If this is the case refer to the "Total DHEA Production" biomarker for more information.
If the metabolic preference is towards that 5-alpha metabolic pathway (Androsterone = high), we can look at the following supplements that are natural 5-alpha blockers. Please discuss any supplement routine with your doctor first:
- saw palmetto
- stinging nettle
- zinc
- EGCG from green tea
- reishi mushroom
- pygeum africanum
Interpret Your Lab Results
Upload your lab report, and we'll interpret and provide you with recommendations today.
Get StartedMonthly plan
Annual plan
Own it for life
Our exclusive data entry service is a convenient way to get your results into your private dashboard. Simply attach an image or a file of your lab test results, and one of our qualified data entry team members will add the results for you. We support all sorts of files, whether PDFs, JPGs, or Excel. This service is excellent whether you have a lot of reports to upload or are too busy to do the data entry yourself.
We strive to make the data entry process easy for you. Whether by offering dozens of templates to choose from that pre-populate the most popular laboratory panels or by giving you instant feedback on the entered values. Our data entry forms are an easy, fast, and convenient way to enter the reports yourself. There is no limit on how many lab reports you can upload.
$15 /month
billed every month
Most popular
Data entry included
$79 /year
$6.60/month billed annually
Data entry included
$250 /once
own it for life
Are You a Health Professional?
Get started with our professional plan
Welcome to Healthmatters Pro.
Save time on interpreting lab results with the largest database of biomarkers online. In-depth research on any test at your fingertips, all stored and tracked in one place. Learn more
Pro Monthly Plus
for health professionals
$75 per month
At HealthMatters, we're committed to maintaining the security and confidentiality of your personal information. We've put industry-leading security standards in place to help protect against the loss, misuse, or alteration of the information under our control. We use procedural, physical, and electronic security methods designed to prevent unauthorized people from getting access to this information. Our internal code of conduct adds additional privacy protection. All data is backed up multiple times a day and encrypted using SSL certificates. See our Privacy Policy for more details.
11-Hydroxy-androsterone (FMV urine, menopause), 11-Hydroxy-etiocholanolone (FMV urine, menopause), 11-Keto-androsterone (FMV urine, menopause), 11-Keto-etiocholanolone (FMV urine, menopause), 16a-Hydroxyestrone (16a-OH E1) / Menopause, 17 - Hydroxysteroids Total (FMV urine, menopause), 17 - Ketosteroids Total (FMV urine, menopause), 17-Hydroxysteroids, Total (menopause), 17-Ketosteroids, Total (FMV urine, menopause), 2-Hydroxyestrone + 2-Hydroxyestradiol [2-OH(E1+E2)] / Menopause, 2-Methoxyestrone+2-Methoxyestradiol [2MeO(E1+E2)] / Menopause, 2-OH(E1+E2) / 16a-OHE1 (Menopause), 2-OH(E1+E2) / 2-MeO(E1+E2) / Menopause, 4-Hydroxyestrone+4-Hydroxyestradiol [4-OH(E1+E2)] / Menopause, 4-Methoxyestrone+4-Methoxyestradiol [4MeO(E1+E2)] / Menopause, allo-Tetrahydrocortisol, a-THF (FMV urine, menopause), Anabolic/Catabolic Balance (FMV), Anabolic/Catabolic Balance (FMV, menopause), Androstanediol (FMV urine, menopause), Androsterone (FMV urine, menopause), DHEA (FMV urine, menopause), E/A: 5b/5a Ratio (FMV urine, menopause), Estradiol (FMV urine, menopause), Estriol (FMV urine, menopause), Estrone (FMV urine, menopause), Etiocholanolone (FMV urine, menopause), Pregnanediol (FMV urine, menopause), Pregnanetriol (FMV urine, menopause), Testosterone (FMV urine, menopause), Tetrahydrocortisol, THF (FMV urine, menopause), Tetrahydrocortisone, THE (FMV urine, menopause), Tetrahydrodeoxycortisol (FMV urine, menopause)