Advancements in the gold standard: Measuring steroid sex hormones by mass spectrometry.
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
Narrative review without systematic search or original human data
PubMed 32209333 · doi:10.1016/j.clinbiochem.2020.03.008
What was done
This is a narrative review summarizing the clinical applications of sex hormone monitoring in hormone therapy, assisted reproductive technology, and gender-affirming therapy. The authors review current analytical approaches, contrasting traditional immunoassays with mass spectrometry-based methods for quantifying sex steroid hormones (such as testosterone and estrogens) in biological matrices.
What was found
The abstract reports no numerical findings or quantitative metrics. It qualitatively reports that mass spectrometry-based methods are more sensitive, specific, and reliable than immunoassays for monitoring therapeutic hormone levels.
Why it matters
Accurate sex steroid hormone measurement is essential for managing hormone therapies and reproductive medicine. Mass spectrometry addresses key analytical limitations of immunoassays, particularly regarding specificity and sensitivity.
Limits
This is a narrative review without original clinical data or systematic review methodology. The abstract presents no quantitative comparisons of assay precision, limits of detection, cost, or turnaround times.
Cited by
- supports Liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) is the gold standard assay for measuring total testosterone.