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 2026-11-08 · 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

Timing changes the numbers. Testosterone, estradiol and hematocrit read differently at peak and at trough; triglycerides and glucose depend on fasting; hard training lifts liver enzymes and CK; alcohol and sex in the day or two before can move estradiol, prolactin and PSA. Drawing the same way each time keeps tests comparable. The first panel is a snapshot; the second, drawn the same way, is where the trend starts.