Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA)

A DHEA (Dehydroepiandrosterone) Test measures the level of a specific precursor hormone in your blood.

Think of DHEA as a raw material or building block. Your adrenal glands (the small hats sitting on top of your kidneys) produce most of it. Your body then takes this DHEA and converts it into male sex hormones (androgens like testosterone) and female sex hormones (estrogens).

Because it is primarily made by the adrenal glands, doctors use this test as a clear window into how well your adrenal glands are working.