UK

UK labs, units and what to order: Medichecks, Thriva, Randox

What the UK testing services include, what a TRT panel should contain, and how to read nmol/L and mmol/L next to US numbers.

Updated 2026-09-27 · Part of the Magno guides

Most people on TRT in the UK test privately. The services are good, cheap compared with a clinic draw, and they all report in the same units, which are not the ones American forums use. This guide covers what to order and how to read it.

What a TRT panel should contain

At minimum: total testosterone, free testosterone (calculated is fine), SHBG, estradiol (ask for the sensitive assay where offered), LH and FSH, prolactin, a full blood count with hematocrit and hemoglobin, ferritin, a lipid panel with HDL and LDL, liver enzymes (ALT, AST, GGT), kidney (creatinine, eGFR), TSH, PSA from your 40s, and fasting glucose or HbA1c. Vitamin D and hs-CRP are cheap extras worth having once a year.

The services

• Medichecks has dedicated TRT panels with the markers above and a venous draw at partner clinics or a nurse visit. Their PDF has a clean table that any parser reads well.
• Thriva started with finger-prick kits and now offers venous draws. Finger-prick is fine for most markers but hematocrit and testosterone are better from a vein.
• Randox Health runs its own clinics and larger panels.
• NHS GP will test testosterone, a full blood count and lipids if there is a reason; many will not run estradiol or a sensitive assay. Bring your private results to the appointment.

Units, UK to US

• Testosterone: nmol/L × 28.8 = ng/dL. A testosterone of 30 nmol/L is about 865 ng/dL.
• Estradiol: pmol/L × 0.272 = pg/mL. 110 pmol/L is about 30 pg/mL.
• Cholesterol, LDL, HDL: mmol/L × 38.7 = mg/dL. LDL 3.4 mmol/L is about 131 mg/dL.
• Triglycerides: mmol/L × 88.6 = mg/dL.
• Hematocrit: UK labs sometimes print 0.52 L/L instead of 52 percent. Same thing.
• Glucose: mmol/L × 18 = mg/dL. HbA1c: mmol/mol is the IFCC unit; 39 mmol/mol is 5.7 percent.

The testosterone to estradiol ratio that forums quote uses ng/dL over pg/mL. Convert both first or the ratio is meaningless.

Timing

Draw at trough, the morning of your next injection, fasted, before training, no alcohol for two days, no sex the night before if prolactin or PSA is on the panel. Book the same slot every time. The first panel is a snapshot; the second, drawn the same way, is where the trend starts.