Table 2.

Summary of studies investigating the alterations of hormone levels with age

Hormone	Study design	Hormone levels	Ratio or measurement	Age group (sample sizes)	Reference
Total T	Cross-sectional	↓	0.4 %/year	39–70 (1709)	Gray et al. [42]
Free T		↓	1.2 %/year
Albumin-bound T		↓	1 %/year
SHBG		↑	1.2 %/year
Total T	Longitudinal study with two cohorts	↓	1.3 %/year	18–90 (480)	Liu et al. [43]
SHBG		↑	2.3 %/year
Total T		↓	0.9 %/year	60–90 (370)
SHBG		↑	2.5 %/year
Androstenediol	Cross-sectional	↓	0.8 %/year	39–70 (1709)	Gray et al. [42]
Androstenedione		↓	1.3 %/year
Androstanediol glucuronide		↓	0.6 %/year
E2	Cross-sectional	↓	0.03 %/year	24–90	Ferrini and Barrett-Connor [37]
Bioavailable E2		↓	0.12 %/year
DHEA	Cross-sectional	↓	3.1 %/year	39–70 (1709)	Gray et al. [42]
DHEAS		↓	2.2 %/year
FSH		↑	1.9 %/year
LH		↑	1.3 %/year
PRL		↓	0.4 %/year
Activin A	Cross-sectional	↑	Youngest (age 30–50, n = 20): 0.47 ng/ml Oldest (age 90–101 n = 9): 0.74 ng/ml	30–101 (73)	Baccarelli et al. [44]
Inhibin B		↓	Youngest (age 30–50, n = 20): 198 ng/ml Oldest (age 90–101 n = 9): 78 pg/ml
Inhibin B/FSH	Cross-sectional	↓	Young: 57.8 ng/mU Older: 18 ng/mU	18–40 (42) and 75–90 (115)	Mahmoud et al. [7]
T/LH		↓	Young: 5.5 nmol/U Older: 2.5 nmol/U