# DHEA-S: A sex-hormone building block that falls with age

> DHEA-S is a hormone from your adrenal glands that falls with age. Check your result against the range for your age and sex, and see what it means.

- Also called DHEA sulfate, Dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate and DHEAS
- Not on a standard checkup
- No fasting needed
- Web page: https://picardo.health/guides/biomarkers/dhea-s

## The short answer

DHEA-S is a hormone your adrenal glands make, which your body can turn into testosterone and estrogen.[4][5] It peaks between ages 20 and 30 and falls gradually after, so a normal result depends on your age and sex.[1][5]

- **A normal result:** Within Labcorp’s range for your age and sex. For women aged 25 to 34, that’s 84.8 to 378 µg/dL; for men the same age, 138.5 to 475.2.[1]
- **If yours is high:** In women before menopause it’s usually PCOS, and in anyone a DHEA supplement raises it.[6][9] Very high levels, 700 µg/dL or more, can point to an adrenal tumor, especially after menopause.[3][6]
- **Should you test?** Mainly if you’re a woman with excess hair, acne or irregular periods and your testosterone isn’t high.[2] It isn’t a test of aging or energy.[4]

## What is a normal DHEA-S level?

DHEA-S falls with age, so Labcorp gives a separate range for each age group, for women and for men.[1] Pick yours in the checker. A result falls into one of four groups:

Which fits you?

### Woman, 18 or 19

| Result (µg/dL) | What it means |
| --- | --- |
| Under 110.0 | Below the range for your age |
| 110.0 to 433.2 | In the normal range for your age |
| 433.3 to 699.9 | Above the range for your age |
| 700.0 or more | Very high: get it checked soon |

### Woman, 20 to 24

| Result (µg/dL) | What it means |
| --- | --- |
| Under 110.0 | Below the range for your age |
| 110.0 to 431.7 | In the normal range for your age |
| 431.8 to 699.9 | Above the range for your age |
| 700.0 or more | Very high: get it checked soon |

### Woman, 25 to 34

| Result (µg/dL) | What it means |
| --- | --- |
| Under 84.8 | Below the range for your age |
| 84.8 to 378.0 | In the normal range for your age |
| 378.1 to 699.9 | Above the range for your age |
| 700.0 or more | Very high: get it checked soon |

### Woman, 35 to 44

| Result (µg/dL) | What it means |
| --- | --- |
| Under 57.3 | Below the range for your age |
| 57.3 to 279.2 | In the normal range for your age |
| 279.3 to 699.9 | Above the range for your age |
| 700.0 or more | Very high: get it checked soon |

### Woman, 45 to 54

| Result (µg/dL) | What it means |
| --- | --- |
| Under 41.2 | Below the range for your age |
| 41.2 to 243.7 | In the normal range for your age |
| 243.8 to 699.9 | Above the range for your age |
| 700.0 or more | Very high: get it checked soon |

### Woman, 55 to 64

| Result (µg/dL) | What it means |
| --- | --- |
| Under 29.4 | Below the range for your age |
| 29.4 to 220.5 | In the normal range for your age |
| 220.6 to 699.9 | Above the range for your age |
| 700.0 or more | Very high: get it checked soon |

### Woman, 65 to 74

| Result (µg/dL) | What it means |
| --- | --- |
| Under 20.4 | Below the range for your age |
| 20.4 to 186.6 | In the normal range for your age |
| 186.7 to 699.9 | Above the range for your age |
| 700.0 or more | Very high: get it checked soon |

### Woman, 75 or older

| Result (µg/dL) | What it means |
| --- | --- |
| Under 13.9 | Below the range for your age |
| 13.9 to 142.8 | In the normal range for your age |
| 142.9 to 699.9 | Above the range for your age |
| 700.0 or more | Very high: get it checked soon |

### Man, 18 or 19

| Result (µg/dL) | What it means |
| --- | --- |
| Under 115.3 | Below the range for your age |
| 115.3 to 459.6 | In the normal range for your age |
| 459.7 to 699.9 | Above the range for your age |
| 700.0 or more | Very high: get it checked soon |

### Man, 20 to 24

| Result (µg/dL) | What it means |
| --- | --- |
| Under 164.3 | Below the range for your age |
| 164.3 to 530.5 | In the normal range for your age |
| 530.6 to 699.9 | Above the range for your age |
| 700.0 or more | Very high: get it checked soon |

### Man, 25 to 34

| Result (µg/dL) | What it means |
| --- | --- |
| Under 138.5 | Below the range for your age |
| 138.5 to 475.2 | In the normal range for your age |
| 475.3 to 699.9 | Above the range for your age |
| 700.0 or more | Very high: get it checked soon |

### Man, 35 to 44

| Result (µg/dL) | What it means |
| --- | --- |
| Under 102.6 | Below the range for your age |
| 102.6 to 416.3 | In the normal range for your age |
| 416.4 to 699.9 | Above the range for your age |
| 700.0 or more | Very high: get it checked soon |

### Man, 45 to 54

| Result (µg/dL) | What it means |
| --- | --- |
| Under 71.6 | Below the range for your age |
| 71.6 to 375.4 | In the normal range for your age |
| 375.5 to 699.9 | Above the range for your age |
| 700.0 or more | Very high: get it checked soon |

### Man, 55 to 64

| Result (µg/dL) | What it means |
| --- | --- |
| Under 48.9 | Below the range for your age |
| 48.9 to 344.2 | In the normal range for your age |
| 344.3 to 699.9 | Above the range for your age |
| 700.0 or more | Very high: get it checked soon |

### Man, 65 to 74

| Result (µg/dL) | What it means |
| --- | --- |
| Under 30.9 | Below the range for your age |
| 30.9 to 295.6 | In the normal range for your age |
| 295.7 to 699.9 | Above the range for your age |
| 700.0 or more | Very high: get it checked soon |

### Man, 75 or older

| Result (µg/dL) | What it means |
| --- | --- |
| Under 20.8 | Below the range for your age |
| 20.8 to 226.4 | In the normal range for your age |
| 226.5 to 699.9 | Above the range for your age |
| 700.0 or more | Very high: get it checked soon |

Taking DHEA raises DHEA-S a lot: by a median of about 340 to 380 µg/dL in a two-year trial.[9] Steroid medicines such as prednisone lower it.[4] These ranges are for adults; children and younger teens have their own.[1]

### Below the range for your age

**Range:** Below Labcorp’s range for your age and sex.

Usually this isn’t a problem. Many healthy people, especially older people, sit below these ranges, and steroid medicines lower it.[4][5] A result well below the range can be an early sign that your adrenal glands aren’t working properly, though it can’t show that on its own, especially in older people.[5] Less often, it’s a sign of an adrenal growth making too much cortisol.[4]

**How worried to be:** Not a worry on its own.

**What to do next:**

1. If you take a steroid medicine, that’s the likely reason.[4] The same effect can lower your cortisol, so don’t stop a long-term steroid suddenly, and ask whether you need a morning cortisol test when you come off it.[10]
2. If you’re tired, losing weight, dizzy when you stand or craving salt, ask about a morning cortisol test.[5]
3. Don’t take DHEA to raise the number. In a two-year trial in older adults, it brought no meaningful benefit.[9]

[Test a morning cortisol, $5.00](https://app.picardo.health/labs/order?tests=004051&ref=guide-dhea-s)

### In the normal range for your age

**Range:** In Labcorp’s range for your age and sex.

Your adrenal glands are making a typical amount for someone your age and sex.[1] If you’re being checked for excess hair or PCOS, testosterone is the main test, and DHEA-S is a second-line check.[2]

**How worried to be:** Nothing to worry about.

**What to do next:**

1. Nothing to do.
2. If you have excess hair, acne or irregular periods, make sure your testosterone has been checked too.[2]

### Above the range for your age

**Range:** Above Labcorp’s range for your age and sex, up to 699.9 µg/dL.

In women, the most common cause is PCOS.[6] Taking DHEA raises it too.[9] Less often, it’s congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH), an inherited condition of the adrenal glands.[1] If your free testosterone is normal, a mildly high DHEA-S is unlikely to change your treatment.[3] Some tumors raise hormone levels only mildly, though, so how quickly symptoms came on matters more than the number.[2] Most of this evidence comes from women. In a man who doesn’t take DHEA, a clinician will look for an adrenal cause.

**How worried to be:** Not urgent. Worth raising with a clinician, sooner if symptoms came on quickly or are getting worse fast.[2]

**What to do next:**

1. If you take DHEA, that’s the likely reason.[9]
2. Check testosterone if you haven’t, ideally by mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). It’s the main test for PCOS and excess hair.[2]
3. Ask about 17-OH progesterone, the test for the most common type of CAH, taken early in the morning and, if you have periods, early in your cycle.[3]
4. If you’re past menopause and have new or worsening excess hair, see a clinician soon. Guidelines advise checking for a hormone-making tumor.[2]

[Test testosterone and 17-OH progesterone, $36.00](https://app.picardo.health/labs/order?tests=070001,070085&ref=guide-dhea-s)

### Very high: get it checked soon

**Range:** 700 µg/dL or more.

For women, the Endocrine Society’s hirsutism guideline calls over 700 µg/dL “suggestive” of a hormone-making tumor, though it notes the level alone predicts a tumor poorly.[3] In a study of 1,205 women tested for high male hormones (androgens), the most severe DHEA-S excess before menopause was mostly PCOS, but after menopause, every case was adrenal cancer.[6] For men, 700 is above Labcorp’s range at every age.[1] In anyone, a DHEA supplement raises it by hundreds of µg/dL.[9]

**How worried to be:** Unless you take DHEA, see a clinician within a week or two. It isn’t an emergency.

**What to do next:**

1. If you take DHEA, tell your clinician. It may explain the result.[9]
2. Add testosterone and androstenedione tests. In the same study, androstenedione was raised in every adrenal cancer, and only 60% raised DHEA-S.[6]
3. If you’re past menopause, or symptoms such as excess hair came on quickly, guidelines advise checking for a hormone-making tumor.[2]

[Test testosterone and androstenedione, $37.25](https://app.picardo.health/labs/order?tests=070001,004705&ref=guide-dhea-s)

## What is DHEA-S?

> Think of DHEA-S as a stockpile of raw material. Your adrenal glands keep a large supply in your blood, and your body turns small amounts into testosterone and estrogen where it needs them. It isn’t a male hormone itself.[4][5]

DHEA-S is made in your adrenal glands. Its level barely changes from hour to hour, so unlike cortisol, the time of day you test matters little.[1]

Levels start rising from about age 7, peak between 20 and 30, then fall gradually.[1][5] Men tend to have higher levels than women of the same age.[1]

## What does a high DHEA-S mean?

The main causes:

- PCOS, the most common cause in women[6]
- Taking DHEA[9]
- Congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH), an inherited condition of the adrenal glands[1]
- A tumor of the adrenal glands or ovaries that makes male hormones[2]

Guidelines treat DHEA-S as a second-line test for PCOS, after testosterone, because it’s less specific.[2] A mildly high DHEA-S with a normal free testosterone is unlikely to change your treatment.[3] What matters more is how quickly symptoms like excess hair or acne came on. Some tumors raise hormone levels only mildly, so a fast change needs checking whatever the number.[2]

## What does a low DHEA-S mean?

Most often, nothing. It falls naturally with age, and steroid medicines such as prednisone lower it.[4][5] Labcorp’s own test notes say only high results matter clinically, though they also note it’s low in Addison’s disease.[1]

Adrenal specialists see it a little differently. A result well below the range for your age can be an early clue that your adrenal glands aren’t working properly, though it can’t diagnose that on its own.[5] Less often, it points to an adrenal growth making too much cortisol.[4]

A low DHEA-S isn’t “androgen deficiency.” The Endocrine Society recommends against diagnosing that in healthy women, because no clear syndrome or link to symptoms has been shown.[4]

## Do DHEA supplements help?

Taking DHEA raises DHEA-S. Whether it does you any good is another matter.

| Who | What the evidence shows |
| --- | --- |
| Older adults with low levels | Two years of DHEA brought no meaningful gain in body composition, strength, insulin sensitivity or quality of life, though bone density rose slightly at one site.[9] |
| Women in general | The Endocrine Society recommends against it: the reasons to use it are unclear, and its benefits and long-term safety are unproven.[4] |
| Women with adrenal insufficiency | Two Endocrine Society guidelines disagree. One recommends against routine use;[4] a later one suggests a 6-month trial for women with Addison’s disease and low libido, mood or energy.[5] |
| Women having IVF | Likely makes little or no difference to live births.[7] Europe’s fertility society recommends against it.[8] |

The adrenal insufficiency guidelines differ in strength too. The advice against is a strong recommendation on very weak evidence; the 6-month trial is a weak suggestion.[4][5]

If you take DHEA, your result mostly reflects the pills. In the two-year trial, it raised DHEA-S by a median of about 340 µg/dL in men and 380 in women.[9]

## Who should get a DHEA-S test?

It’s worth checking if any of these apply to you:

- You’re a woman with excess hair, acne or irregular periods, and your testosterone isn’t high.[2]
- Excess hair or other signs of high male hormones came on quickly, or started after menopause.[2]
- A clinician suspects an adrenal problem, such as CAH or an adrenal tumor.[1]

It isn’t a test of aging, energy or libido, and a low result on its own isn’t a reason to take DHEA.[4]

## How to get a DHEA-S test, and what it costs

A DHEA-S test costs $6.50 through Picardo.

- [DHEA-S on its own, $6.50](https://app.picardo.health/labs/order?tests=004020&ref=guide-dhea-s). Labcorp 004020, no fasting needed.

Every order comes with:

- Results in 2 to 3 days, in the app
- Physician follow-up if you want one
- Free Labcorp draw, or $75 at home
- No other fees. HSA and FSA eligible.

It’s also part of the [Base Core Annual – Men](https://picardo.health/labs/panels/base-core-men), [Base Core Annual – Women](https://picardo.health/labs/panels/base-core-women) and [Fertility](https://picardo.health/labs/panels/fertility) panels, if you’d rather test more at once.

Already have a result? [Ask Picardo about it](https://app.picardo.health/auth).

## Questions people ask

### Does DHEA-S fall with age?

Yes. It peaks between 20 and 30, then falls gradually. Menopause itself doesn’t cause a drop.[4][5] In two long-term studies of women in midlife, it fell by about 1.5% to 2.8% a year.[4] That’s why Labcorp’s range for women starts at 110 µg/dL at ages 20 to 24, but at 13.9 from age 75.[1]

### Should I take DHEA for fertility?

The evidence says probably not. A 2024 Cochrane review, pooling 9 trials of DHEA with about 1,400 women, mostly ones whose ovaries respond poorly, found it likely makes little or no difference to the chance of a live birth after IVF.[7] Europe’s fertility society, ESHRE, recommends against it, whether your ovaries respond poorly or normally to stimulation.[8]

### Is DHEA-S the same as DHEA?

Nearly. DHEA-S is the sulfate form of DHEA. It lasts about a day in your blood, so its level is about a thousand times higher than DHEA’s and barely changes through the day. That makes it the more useful one to measure.[1]

### Can a DHEA-S test diagnose PCOS?

No. Testosterone is the main blood test for PCOS. Guidelines say DHEA-S could be checked if testosterone isn’t high, but it’s less specific and falls with age.[2] In women with excess hair and normal testosterone, it’s raised in no more than 17%.[3]

## Often checked alongside

- [Total testosterone](https://picardo.health/guides/biomarkers/testosterone.md): All the testosterone in your blood
- [SHBG](https://picardo.health/guides/biomarkers/shbg.md): The protein that binds sex hormones
- [Cortisol](https://picardo.health/guides/biomarkers/cortisol.md): The main stress hormone
- [Free testosterone](https://picardo.health/guides/biomarkers/free-testosterone.md): The testosterone your body can use

## Test details

- **Labcorp test:** Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) Sulfate, 004020
- **LOINC:** 2191-5
- **Sample:** Blood
- **Fasting:** Not needed
- **Time of day:** Any. Levels vary little through the day.[1]
- **Typical lab range:** Depends on age and sex. At 25 to 34, 84.8 to 378.0 µg/dL for women and 138.5 to 475.2 µg/dL for men[1]
- **Units:** µg/dL in the US. For µmol/L, divide by about 37.
- **Biotin:** Stop biotin supplements at least 72 hours before the test.[1]

## Sources

1. Labcorp. Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) sulfate, test 004020. Labcorp test menu. Accessed October 28, 2026. https://www.labcorp.com/tests/004020/dehydroepiandrosterone-dhea-sulfate
2. Teede HJ, Tay CT, Laven JJE, et al. Recommendations from the 2023 international evidence-based guideline for the assessment and management of polycystic ovary syndrome. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2023;108(10):2447–2469. https://doi.org/10.1210/clinem/dgad463
3. Martin KA, Anderson RR, Chang RJ, et al. Evaluation and treatment of hirsutism in premenopausal women: an Endocrine Society clinical practice guideline. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2018;103(4):1233–1257. https://doi.org/10.1210/jc.2018-00241
4. Wierman ME, Arlt W, Basson R, et al. Androgen therapy in women: a reappraisal: an Endocrine Society clinical practice guideline. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2014;99(10):3489–3510. https://doi.org/10.1210/jc.2014-2260
5. Bornstein SR, Allolio B, Arlt W, et al. Diagnosis and treatment of primary adrenal insufficiency: an Endocrine Society clinical practice guideline. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2016;101(2):364–389. https://doi.org/10.1210/jc.2015-1710
6. Elhassan YS, Idkowiak J, Smith K, et al. Causes, patterns, and severity of androgen excess in 1205 consecutively recruited women. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2018;103(3):1214–1223. https://doi.org/10.1210/jc.2017-02426
7. Naik S, Lepine S, Nagels HE, et al. Androgens (dehydroepiandrosterone or testosterone) for women undergoing assisted reproduction. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2024;6(6):CD009749. https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD009749.pub3
8. ESHRE Guideline Group on Ovarian Stimulation; Ata B, Bosch E, et al. ESHRE guideline: ovarian stimulation for IVF/ICSI: an update in 2025. Hum Reprod. 2026;41(4):498–514. https://doi.org/10.1093/humrep/deag018
9. Nair KS, Rizza RA, O’Brien P, et al. DHEA in elderly women and DHEA or testosterone in elderly men. N Engl J Med. 2006;355(16):1647–1659. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa054629
10. Beuschlein F, Else T, Bancos I, et al. European Society of Endocrinology and Endocrine Society joint clinical guideline: diagnosis and therapy of glucocorticoid-induced adrenal insufficiency. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2024;109(7):1657–1683. https://doi.org/10.1210/clinem/dgae250

Updated 2026-10-28. This is general health information, not medical advice: talk to your clinician about your results and before changing any treatment.