Blood tests for men over 40: what to ask your GP for

General information, not medical advice. Your GP decides which tests you need.

What blood tests should a man get at 40?

Blood pressure, a diabetes check and a heart risk check that includes cholesterol, with the heart check starting at 45 for most men and earlier for some groups.^1,2,23 In Australia the diabetes risk check starts at 40; in New Zealand it is part of the heart and diabetes check. Bowel screening and a conversation about the PSA test follow from your mid-40s to 50s.^1,4,5,24

Age	Australia	New Zealand
30	Heart checks start for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men, every 2 years, with cholesterol at least every 2 years.1,23	Heart and diabetes checks start for Māori, Pacific and South Asian men.2
35	Blood pressure stays routine, as it has been since 18. Heart checks start at 35 if you live with diabetes.1,23	Heart and diabetes checks start if you have risk factors such as smoking, a relevant family history, high blood pressure or a waist of 102 cm or more.2,3
40	Diabetes risk check every 3 years. If you are at high risk, a blood glucose test every 3 years.1	PSA testing can be discussed from 40 to 75. If you choose it, starting at 40 is suggested for men with a BRCA2 or similar gene change, such as Lynch syndrome.4
45	Heart risk check, including cholesterol, repeated within 5 years if your risk is low or within 2 years if it is intermediate. Free bowel screening kit every 2 years. An initial PSA test if you are interested, or every 2 years if you are at higher risk.1,5,23	Heart and diabetes check for men with no known risk factors. If you choose PSA testing, starting at 45 is suggested if your father or brother had prostate cancer, or you are of Māori or African descent.2,4
50	Bowel kits are posted to you every 2 years. Your GP should raise PSA testing, offered every 2 years to 69 if you choose it. Lung screening by low-dose CT from 50 to 70 if you have no symptoms, at least 30 pack-years of smoking, and still smoke or quit in the last 10 years.1,5,6	If you choose PSA testing and have no family history, starting at 50 is suggested.4
56 to 58	Bowel screening continues every 2 years to 74.1	Free bowel screening every 2 years to 74. The start age is 56 in eight districts from 30 September 2026 and still 58 elsewhere, with the rest of the country expected to move to 56 in the first half of 2027.7,24

Family history brings several of these forward, so mention it early in the visit.^2,4,5

What is in a men's health check in Australia?

There is no single test called a men's health check. It is a GP visit where the checks above get done. At a heart check your GP may measure your blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar, weight and waist.²³ Medicare's Heart Health Check (item 699) covers a visit of at least 20 minutes, which must include a blood pressure and cholesterol reading, once every 12 months for adults 30 and over who would benefit and are not known to have heart disease.⁸ Men of 45 to 49 at risk of chronic disease can also ask about a one-off health assessment.¹

What is in a men's health check in New Zealand?

In New Zealand the core is the heart and diabetes check: blood pressure, height, weight and waist, plus blood tests for cholesterol and blood glucose. Your GP or nurse uses these to estimate your risk of a heart attack or stroke over the next 5 years.²

The diabetes cut-offs changed, with full national rollout from 1 July 2026. An HbA1c of 48 mmol/mol or more is now in the diabetes range (it was 50), and 42 to 47 counts as prediabetes.⁹ If a result in the past 12 months was 48 or 49, ask your GP whether it needs a second look.⁹

Should I get a PSA test?

It is your call, made with your GP after weighing benefits and harms.

• Australia. The 2026 national guidelines, approved by the NHMRC on 18 May 2026, ask GPs to start the conversation at 50 and suggest a PSA test every two years from 50 to 69 for men who decide to be tested. Men at higher risk (a brother with prostate cancer, a father diagnosed before 65, two or more second-degree relatives who died of it, a BRCA2 gene change, or Black men of sub-Saharan African ancestry) can start at 45.⁵
• New Zealand. Routine testing of men without symptoms is not recommended and there is no national programme. About 3 in 4 men with a raised PSA do not have cancer. Health NZ's Kupe website helps you weigh it up.⁴

Urinary symptoms, such as a weak flow, needing to go more often or at night, or blood in your urine, are a reason to see your GP now, not a screening question.⁴ Teak coaches do not advise on PSA.

Is testosterone part of a standard blood test?

No. Testosterone is not on the routine check lists in either country, and NZ guidance says measuring it is not routinely needed in men without symptoms.^1,2,10 Doctors usually test it when symptoms point that way, such as erection problems or a low sex drive.¹¹ NZ guidance counts those two, plus fewer morning erections, as the more specific signs. Tiredness, low mood and poor sleep are real, but they are less specific and have many other common causes.¹⁰

Healthy Male describes an age-related drift down of about 1% a year, and says that drift on its own is not a disorder. One low number is not a diagnosis either: Healthy Male calls for at least two fasting morning samples on separate days.¹² For ranges, see testosterone levels by age.

What is in a male hormone test?

Marker	What it tells you	When it is usually asked for
Total testosterone (nmol/L)	All the testosterone in your blood, bound and free.13	First, on a fasted morning, repeated if low.10
SHBG	A liver protein that binds about 40 to 50% of a man's testosterone, which then can't act on tissues. Extra body fat and type 2 diabetes lower it; ageing raises it.10,25	When total testosterone is borderline, or something that changes SHBG is present.10
Calculated free testosterone	An estimate of the unbound share, worked out from total testosterone and SHBG.10,15	NZ: bpac prefers it for settling an uncertain result after two morning tests; some regions restrict it. Australia's endocrine society (2016) does not recommend it for clinical decisions.10,14
LH and FSH	Pituitary hormones that drive testosterone and sperm production.13	Part of confirming a low result.10,12
Prolactin	A pituitary hormone. A high level can point to a pituitary cause of low testosterone.10,12	Part of confirming a low result.10,12

In New Zealand the wording on the request form can change what you get back. At Awanui Labs, since September 2024, "Testosterone only" returns total testosterone and nothing else, while "Testosterone + SHBG" adds SHBG, calculated free testosterone and a free androgen index. Awanui recommends SHBG whenever total testosterone is low or borderline, particularly in heavier or older men.¹⁵ In both countries, methods and reference ranges differ between labs, so read your result against the range on your own report.^10,13 If a report gives testosterone in ng/dL, our testosterone unit converter switches it to nmol/L. More in free testosterone and SHBG.

Which other blood tests are linked to testosterone?

HbA1c, liver function tests and iron studies, along with a tape measure round your waist. Each is linked in the research to lower testosterone or to a known cause of it. Australia's endocrine society notes that obesity, metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes are all associated with lower testosterone.¹⁴

Check	What it measures	How it connects to testosterone
Waist (a tape measure, not a blood test)	Fat around the middle. Australia's Heart Foundation puts a man's health at risk above 94 cm; in NZ, 102 cm or more is a risk factor for the heart check.3,16	Obesity is associated with lower testosterone and lowers SHBG.10,14
HbA1c	Average blood glucose over the past two to three months. 48 mmol/mol (6.5%) or more is in the diabetes range in both countries.9,17	Type 2 diabetes is associated with lower testosterone and lower SHBG.10,14
Liver function tests (ALT, GGT)	Signs of liver strain. GGT is raised in about 75% of long-term heavy drinkers and takes at least a month to settle after stopping.18	Heavy drinking and liver disease can lower testosterone in men.10,13
Ferritin and transferrin saturation (iron studies)	Iron stores. Inherited iron overload (haemochromatosis) affects about 1 in 200 New Zealanders, is most common in people of northern European descent, and usually shows symptoms earlier in men, from mid-adulthood.19	Haemochromatosis is a recognised cause of low testosterone, and iron studies are among the follow-up tests Healthy Male lists. Symptoms are often vague, such as tiredness, and can include low sex drive and erection problems.10,12,19

These are associations, not verdicts, and your GP interprets any result outside the range. They can also help show which habits are worth working on first: see how to increase testosterone naturally.

Do I need to fast for these blood tests?

If testosterone is on the form, yes: book an early-morning collection and have water only beforehand.^10,11 A fasted early-morning sample suits the other tests on this page as well.

• Testosterone: between 7 and 11 am, ideally after an overnight fast. Illness, a recent carbohydrate meal or recent alcohol can cause a temporary drop, so don't book it when you are sick. Shift workers should test two to three hours after waking.¹⁰
• A repeat: if the first result is below range, bpac suggests repeating it, preferably about four weeks later.¹⁰
• Cholesterol: fasting or non-fasting. Your GP or the lab will say which.²⁰
• HbA1c: no preparation.¹⁷
• GGT: even a small amount of alcohol in the previous 24 hours can raise it, and it is best measured after eight hours without food.¹⁸
• PSA: avoid ejaculation, receptive anal sex and heavy exercise for two days before, as each can raise PSA.⁴

How much do these checks cost?

When your GP requests them, most routine blood tests are fully or partly covered by Medicare in Australia, and free at a community lab in New Zealand if you are eligible for public health care. The GP visit depends on your practice.^21,22

Item	Australia	New Zealand
GP heart check visit	Heart Health Check (item 699): Medicare schedule fee A$87.10, benefit 100% of the schedule fee. Ask whether your practice bulk bills.8	Your practice's consultation fee. Ask when you book.
Blood tests your GP requests	Medicare covers all or part of most common tests, and many are bulk billed. Ask the collection centre about any gap.21	No cost if you are eligible for public health care and the sample is taken at a community lab. There may be a charge if it is taken at your practice.22
Tests you request yourself	Private, paid by you. See testosterone test costs in Australia and NZ.	Some tests can be self-requested from age 16, paid by you.22
Bowel screening kit	Free, 45 to 74.1	Free, from 56 or 58 depending on district, to 74.7,24

Prices last checked 30 September 2026.

What should I take to my GP?

A short written list, your family history and any old results.

• The checks you are due for, from the table above.
• Family history: heart attack or stroke, diabetes, prostate or bowel cancer, and iron overload.
• Symptoms, written plainly and accurately: sex drive, morning erections, energy, sleep and mood.
• Every medicine and supplement you take.
• Previous blood results, so the new ones can be compared.
• If a hormone test is agreed, a request for a fasted morning collection with SHBG.

Our printable testosterone blood test checklist covers what to ask for in Australia and in New Zealand, including the names used on request forms.

What if my GP says a hormone test is not needed?

It can be a fair call, so ask what else could explain your symptoms. NZ guidance asks GPs to test testosterone only when significant signs are present, and to consider whether other causes explain non-specific symptoms first.¹⁰ The routine checks still matter, and several of them, such as waist, HbA1c and liver tests, are linked to the same habits. Describe your symptoms as they are, no more and no less.

When should I see a GP straight away?

Straight away for any of the signs below. Teak sends every one of them to a GP, plainly and straight away, and pauses coaching on it until you have been seen:

• pain, a lump or swelling in a testicle
• breast tissue that has grown recently
• headaches with changes to your vision
• chest pain, breathlessness on exertion, or erection problems that came on suddenly
• thoughts of harming yourself.

If chest pain is happening now, or in any emergency, call 000 in Australia or 111 in New Zealand. For thoughts of self-harm, call Lifeline on 13 11 14 in Australia, or call or text 1737 in New Zealand. Our safety page has the full list. If you already take testosterone, hCG or clomiphene, read who Teak is not for.

Where does Teak fit?

Teak is a remote testosterone coaching service for men in Australia and New Zealand. It is coaching, not medical care: Teak does not diagnose, prescribe, order tests or sell testosterone, supplements or tests, and takes no commission from labs or prescribers. Open the WhatsApp chat on the site, answer two quick questions, then send the results you already have as a PDF or photo, and a coach reads every marker with you in plain English. No recent tests? The coach tells you which markers to ask your GP or lab for. Anything that looks medical goes to your GP, plainly and straight away. More on how it works.

Chatting first costs nothing. Baseline, 4 weeks is A$297 in Australia or NZ$329 incl. GST in New Zealand. Blood tests are ordered and paid for separately through your GP or a private lab. Prices last checked 30 September 2026.