Low Testosterone Symptom Checker (ADAM Questionnaire)
Ten yes-or-no questions from the ADAM screening questionnaire. It flags a pattern worth testing for; it cannot measure a hormone, and it also flags many men whose levels are normal. Nothing is stored.
Ten yes-or-no questions from the ADAM screening questionnaire. It flags a pattern worth testing for; it cannot measure a hormone, and it also flags many men whose levels are normal. Nothing is stored.
Screening result
Not a positive screen
Tick the symptoms that apply to see what this questionnaire would flag.
This is the ADAM questionnaire, a screening tool published in 2000. It picks up about 88% of men who genuinely have low testosterone, but its specificity is only around 60%, so it also flags about 4 in 10 men whose levels are normal. Treat a positive result as a reason to ask for a morning blood test, repeated on a second morning, and nothing more. Our guides to the signs of low testosterone and the testosterone blood test explain which symptoms actually point at hormones and how the test is done properly. This tool is information, not medical advice, and it does not diagnose anything.
How it works
Answer ten yes-or-no questions. The tool applies the ADAM questionnaire's own scoring rule: a positive screen is a yes to the libido question or the erections question, or a yes to any three of the others.
The formula and sources
The questions and the scoring come from the Androgen Deficiency in the Aging Male (ADAM) questionnaire, validated by Morley and colleagues in Metabolism in 2000 against low bioavailable testosterone. Reported performance in that study: 88% sensitivity, 60% specificity.
Assumptions
- You are an adult man answering honestly about the past few months.
- The result is a screen, not a measurement.
Limitations
Specificity of 60% means the questionnaire also flags about 4 in 10 men whose testosterone is perfectly normal. Tiredness, low mood and poor sleep produce the same answers as low testosterone. Nothing here can replace a morning blood test.
When to see a doctor
Take a positive screen to a doctor and ask for a morning total testosterone, repeated on a second morning. Ask sooner if you have shrinking testicles, loss of body hair or breast tissue changes.
Frequently asked questions
Can a questionnaire diagnose low testosterone?
No. It picks up a pattern. Diagnosis needs a morning blood test, repeated on a second morning, read alongside your symptoms.
Why did I screen positive when I feel fine otherwise?
The questionnaire is deliberately sensitive, so it catches most men who are genuinely low and also flags about 4 in 10 whose levels are normal.
Which symptoms matter most?
The sexual ones: lower sex drive, weaker erections, fewer morning erections. Tiredness and low mood on their own point elsewhere far more often.
What should I do with a positive result?
Ask a doctor for a morning total testosterone. Do not buy a testosterone booster on the strength of a questionnaire.