Home › Biomarkers › DHEA-S
DHEA-S is a hormone made mainly by your adrenal glands. A level that is too low or too high can point to a problem with your adrenal glands or with your sex hormones.[1]
On this page, you can read what DHEA-S is, what the guidelines say about a level that is too low or too high, what affects your level and which other values are best to look at alongside it.
Also known as: DHEAS, DHEA sulphate, dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate. At the lab: DHEAS.
DHEA-S stands for dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate. It is a steroid hormone made mainly by your adrenal glands. Smaller amounts come from the testicles and the ovaries.[1]
DHEA-S is one of the male sex hormones, but both men and women have it. It plays an important role in making testosterone and oestrogen.[1]
It helps with the development of male characteristics during puberty and with reproduction, in both sexes.[1]
With a DHEA-S test, a doctor mainly checks whether your adrenal glands are working properly. Among other things, your adrenal glands help regulate your heart rate and blood pressure.[1]
The test also helps find the cause of male characteristics in women and girls, such as heavy hair growth on the body and face or a deeper voice. Other signs of a high level can be irregular periods and acne.[1]
In boys, the test helps find the cause of early or late puberty. Men with a high level sometimes notice nothing at all.[1]
Labplusarts, the lab BioProfile works with, uses a reference range of 5.73 to 13.4 umol/l for DHEA-S. The lab calls a value between these limits normal.[2]
| Value | What the lab says | Who it is for |
|---|---|---|
| 5.73 to 13.4 umol/l[2] | Normal according to the lab | As given by the lab as the reference value |
Source: Labplusarts, the lab's reference range for DHEA-S. This page's source does not give any cut-off values itself.[2]
A low level can point to a condition in which your adrenal glands make too little of certain hormones. It can also point to a pituitary gland that makes too little of one or more hormones. A low level can also be related to getting older. Your doctor looks at your symptoms, age, sex, medical history and other blood values.[1]
A high level can point to an inherited condition of the adrenal glands, an abnormality in an adrenal gland, or a common hormonal condition of the ovaries in women of childbearing age. Very occasionally, it can point to an abnormality in an ovary. Discuss your result with your doctor.[1]
BioProfile is working on its own zones for each value, from risk to optimal. A doctor reviews those zones before they appear in your result.
Your DHEA-S is at its highest around puberty. After that, the level falls as you get older.[1]
If your adrenal glands or your pituitary gland make too few hormones, your level may come out lower. An inherited condition of the adrenal glands or a hormonal condition of the ovaries can instead raise your level.[1]
DHEA supplements are sold without a prescription and are sometimes promoted as a way to counter ageing. There is no reliable evidence for this, and they can cause serious side effects. If you have questions about them, ask your doctor.[1]
You do not need to prepare in any special way for a DHEA-S test.[1]
DHEA-S is included in BioProfile 121 and 150.[3]
The BioProfile editorial team wrote this page on 10 October 2026 from the sources below, which we read on 10 October 2026. Every number on this page appears in one of those sources, with that source's number next to it. An expert has yet to check this page; after that check, the expert's name and the date of the check will appear at the top. This page offers explanation, not a diagnosis. Discuss a value outside the range with your GP.
