CPT 83001 · FSH + Testosterone Workup
There's no single code for a 'male hormone panel'. Each hormone is its own line: 83001 for FSH, 84403 for total testosterone, and 83002, 84146 and 82670 for the LH, prolactin and estradiol a urologist adds when the first two point somewhere. Here's what each covers and when the guideline says to draw them.
Hormone testing is the step after the semen analysis, not instead of it. The AUA/ASRM male infertility guideline reserves FSH and testosterone for men whose semen analysis shows a low count or no sperm, or who have low libido or erectile dysfunction. Hera doesn't sell hormone blood tests — a urologist or reproductive endocrinologist orders them, usually as a morning draw at Quest, Labcorp or the clinic. What Hera does is the semen analysis that decides whether you need them, and the reading that tells you whether your numbers cross the line.
Each hormone roughly $20–$80 cash, a 4–6 test panel roughly $100–$250 · Hera semen analysis $60 + the lab's price
CPT 83001 is a blood level of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), the pituitary signal that drives sperm production. CPT 84403 is total testosterone. These two are the guideline's first-line pair: the AUA/ASRM says clinicians should obtain FSH and testosterone for infertile men with low libido, erectile dysfunction, a low sperm count (oligozoospermia) or no sperm (azoospermia). Together they sort most hormonal problems into two buckets — a testis that isn't responding (high FSH) or a pituitary that isn't asking (low FSH and LH with low testosterone).
The rest are added on findings. CPT 83002 is luteinizing hormone (LH), drawn when testosterone is low to tell a testicular cause from a pituitary one. CPT 84146 is prolactin, checked when testosterone is low with a low or normal LH, because excess prolactin from the pituitary suppresses both. CPT 82670 is estradiol, useful before starting a medication like clomiphene or anastrozole. CPT 84402 (free testosterone) and 84270 (SHBG, the protein that binds it) refine a borderline total testosterone, especially in men with obesity or thyroid disease. Testosterone should be drawn in the morning, before 10am, and a low value repeated once before anyone acts on it.
1. Start with the semen analysis. Order through Hera — no lab to choose and no doctor's visit. Tell us where you are and we match you to a lab near you; the physician order is included, and we text or email you the location, cash price and collection instructions within one business day.
2. Upload the report. Hera's AI reads every parameter against WHO 2021 limits and tells you whether your concentration falls under the guideline's threshold for a hormone evaluation — fewer than 15 million/mL, or no sperm at all.
3. If it does, or you have low libido or erectile dysfunction, see a urologist or reproductive endocrinologist. They'll order FSH (83001) and total testosterone (84403) as a morning blood draw at Quest, Labcorp or their clinic, and add LH, prolactin or estradiol depending on what comes back.
Hera doesn't sell hormone blood tests. Already have a semen analysis? Upload it and see in minutes whether your numbers meet the threshold. Don't have one yet? Order it and we'll find the lab.
Upload your semen analysis — check the threshold Order a semen analysis — we'll match you to a labA male hormone workup is billed one hormone at a time, each with its own CPT code, under a diagnosis code that explains why. If a urologist has handed you an order, or you're reading an explanation of benefits, these are the lines to expect.
| Code | What it covers |
|---|---|
| 83001 (First-line per AUA guideline) | Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) — the first-line hormone in the guideline, a direct read on sperm production. |
| 84403 | Total testosterone — the other first-line hormone; drawn in the morning. |
| 83002 | Luteinizing hormone (LH) — added when testosterone is low, to tell a testicular from a pituitary cause. |
| 84146 | Prolactin — added when testosterone is low or libido is reduced. |
| 82670 | Estradiol — added when testosterone is low or a medication like an aromatase inhibitor is being considered. |
| 84402 | Free testosterone — sometimes added when total testosterone is borderline. |
| 84270 | Sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) — used to interpret a borderline testosterone. |
| Code | What it covers |
|---|---|
| N46.9 (First-line per AUA guideline) | Male infertility, unspecified — the usual code when an abnormal semen analysis triggers hormone testing. |
| N46.11 | Organic oligospermia — low sperm count on a previous analysis. |
| N46.01 | Organic azoospermia — no sperm on a previous analysis. |
| E29.1 | Testicular hypofunction — low testosterone from the testicles themselves. |
| E22.1 | Hyperprolactinemia — high prolactin, a treatable cause of low testosterone. |
| R68.82 | Decreased libido — one of the guideline's triggers for hormone testing. |
Hormone levels are ordinary chemistry codes with established fee schedules, so they're covered more often than the semen analysis itself — but coverage still follows the diagnosis. An order coded E29.1 (testicular hypofunction) or E22.1 (hyperprolactinemia) is often paid by plans that exclude fertility testing under N46.9. Ask the ordering office which diagnosis it's using, and ask the draw site for the cash price per test if you're paying yourself.
There isn't a single one. Each hormone is billed separately: CPT 83001 for FSH, 84403 for total testosterone, 83002 for LH, 84146 for prolactin, 82670 for estradiol, and 84402 and 84270 for free testosterone and SHBG. The AUA/ASRM guideline starts with FSH and testosterone and adds the others based on the results.
The AUA/ASRM male infertility guideline (2020, amended 2024) says clinicians should obtain FSH and testosterone for infertile men who have low libido, erectile dysfunction, a low sperm count (oligozoospermia) or no sperm (azoospermia). It doesn't call for hormone testing in every infertile man — if your semen analysis is normal and you have no symptoms, the money is usually better spent elsewhere.
That the pituitary is pushing hard and the testes aren't answering. FSH rises when the sperm-producing tubules are damaged or underdeveloped — primary testicular failure — and it usually goes with small, soft testes on exam. In a man with no sperm, a high FSH points to a production problem (non-obstructive azoospermia) rather than a blockage, which changes the next step from a repair to sperm retrieval. A normal FSH with azoospermia and normal-sized testes raises the possibility of an obstruction instead.
That the signal from the brain is missing, not the testes' ability to respond — secondary (hypogonadotropic) hypogonadism. Causes include a pituitary tumor or prolactin excess, some medications, severe illness, and, most commonly in fertility clinics, current or recent testosterone, anabolic steroid or SARM use. The guideline says to work up the cause of a high prolactin and treat it accordingly; the rest of the pattern often responds to medications that restart the pituitary signal.
No. Testosterone from outside the body switches off the pituitary's FSH and LH, testosterone inside the testes falls to a fraction of normal, and sperm production stops — often to zero within a few months. The AUA/ASRM guideline states that clinicians should not prescribe exogenous testosterone to men interested in current or future fertility. For men with genuinely low testosterone who want children, the guideline allows clomiphene or other SERMs, hCG, aromatase inhibitors or a combination (a conditional recommendation, Grade C evidence), which raise testosterone without shutting down sperm production. Recovery after stopping testosterone usually takes 6 to 12 months and isn't guaranteed.
Testosterone peaks in the early morning and falls through the day, so the draw should be before 10am; a 4pm value can read low in a man who's normal. Fasting isn't required for these hormones, though a low total testosterone should be repeated on a second morning before anyone treats it. Prolactin can rise with stress, exercise or a recent meal, so a mildly high result is usually repeated too.
N46.9, male infertility unspecified, is the usual primary code, or N46.11 (oligospermia) or N46.01 (azoospermia) once the semen analysis has shown which. When a result is already abnormal, physicians add E29.1 (testicular hypofunction, i.e. low testosterone), E22.1 (hyperprolactinemia) or R68.82 (decreased libido), and these are often the codes that get the test covered.
No. Hormone tests are ordered by a urologist or reproductive endocrinologist and drawn at Quest, Labcorp or the clinic. Paid in cash, each hormone runs roughly $20 to $80, and a four-to-six-test panel roughly $100 to $250. Hera's part is the step before: a semen analysis for $60 plus the lab's price, with the physician order included, and an AI reading that tells you whether your count meets the guideline threshold for a hormone workup.