PSSD blood tests: what normal results mean

There is no established blood test that diagnoses post-SSRI sexual dysfunction (PSSD), a condition that can last after stopping an SSRI or SNRI antidepressant. Blood tests look for other explanations, and a normal result doesn’t rule PSSD out.

PSSD is more than sexual problems. Its core is a lasting change in genital sensation, often numbness, and the 2022 criteria also describe emotional numbing, problems with thinking and changes in other senses. “Your blood tests are normal” doesn’t explain any of that. The useful next question is what those tests checked, and what is left to explore.

The UK leaflet for Cipralex (escitalopram) says sexual problems have, in some cases, “continued after stopping treatment”. No blood test measures that.

Why have blood tests, and which ones?

Blood tests look for other health problems that could explain sexual symptoms. They’re useful even though they can’t tell you whether you have PSSD.

The criteria proposed in 2022 look at your medicine history, changes in genital sensation, and whether another condition or medicine could explain the symptoms. Under “There should be”, they ask for “no current medical conditions that could account for the symptoms”. Blood tests help with that part. They can’t replace the rest.

If you already have symptoms, tell your clinician when they began and whether you’re still taking the medicine. Our guide to PSSD diagnosis explains the proposed criteria in more detail.

There is no standard “PSSD blood panel”. The choice depends on your symptoms, your history and what your clinician is looking for.

For men first seeing a doctor about erection problems, British Society for Sexual Medicine guidance recommends three tests. They look for other causes of erection problems. They are not a PSSD panel.

• Fasting blood glucose checks blood sugar, including possible diabetes.
• A lipid profile checks cholesterol and other blood fats.
• Morning testosterone shows whether testosterone needs a closer look.

None of them can show whether you have PSSD, or whether an antidepressant caused your symptoms.

These are examples, not a checklist for everyone. For women, or for symptoms other than erection problems, tests should fit the person’s history and symptoms. Our page on PSSD in women covers what women describe.

My blood tests are normal. What does that mean?

“Normal” usually means a result falls within the laboratory’s reference range. It doesn’t mean every explanation has been checked, or that your symptoms are imagined. The NHS explains blood tests and their results.

A normal hormone result doesn’t measure genital sensation, pleasure or emotional numbing. Describe those changes even if nobody asks.

In a 2019 study of 62 people who had reported PSSD to RxISK, one participant wrote:

“Every time i have mentioned it to a GP they have referred me to a psychiatrist, after doing some bloodwork which always came back normal.”

Participant 4, quoted as published. Some respondents described support from clinicians; others felt unheard. They were people who had reported PSSD through a drug-safety website, so the study doesn’t tell us how all patients are treated.

If you recognise that experience, bring the conversation back to the symptoms that remain. A result can be normal while the change you describe still needs attention.

What if testosterone or prolactin is abnormal?

A high, low or borderline hormone result needs an explanation from your clinician. It doesn’t confirm PSSD, and it shouldn’t be brushed aside because you suspect PSSD.

The 2022 criteria paper says borderline hormone levels are sometimes seen in PSSD, and that this “may be a consequence of the conditions rather than a cause”. It names no hormone level that diagnoses it.

Prolactin is a hormone made by a small gland at the base of the brain. SSRIs can raise it while you take them: the Cipralex leaflet lists “increased blood levels of the hormone prolactin” as a side effect. Nobody has shown that a raised level causes PSSD after stopping.

Ask for the actual result and its reference range, not just “normal” or “abnormal”, and keep them with the date of the test.

Watch: understanding PSSD

New to PSSD? In this short video, Professor Joanna Moncrieff, a psychiatrist at UCL, talks about PSSD and how aware doctors are of it. It’s background for the conversation with your GP, not advice about blood results.

Play video: Professor Joanna Moncrieff discusses Post-SSRI Sexual Dysfunction (PSSD)

How can I prepare for my GP appointment?

These medicines help many people. If you have side effects, that’s a decision for you and your prescriber. Don’t stop suddenly.

Bring a short record:

• The medicine: name, dose and dates, for example “Sertraline 50 mg from January 2023, last tablet March 2024.”
• The changes: genital numbness, less desire, erection difficulties, orgasm with little pleasure, and changes beyond sex, such as feeling emotionally flat or struggling to think clearly. Note when each began and how things were before.
• Previous tests: copies of results with dates and reference ranges, plus other medicines and supplements.

Bring the leaflet line too. If your GP isn’t convinced, you can still report it.

Rosie, president of the PSSD Network, talks about her own PSSD in her interview on our site. In this extract she describes what it’s like to live with it.

Play video: Interview with Rosie, PSSD Network President

Report it: it helps everyone

A doctor’s note helps you. A report to the medicines regulator helps everyone else: it is how patterns get noticed.

• No proof needed. A suspicion is enough, even years after stopping. Normal blood tests don’t stop you reporting.
• Where: the Yellow Card scheme in the UK, MedWatch in the US. Our Yellow Card guide for PSSD shows each step.
• Use the right words. If symptoms continued after stopping, write Post-SSRI sexual dysfunction (MedDRA 10086208).

Our reporting guide walks you through it

What else do people ask?

Can a private hormone test diagnose PSSD? No. A private test measures a hormone level, not PSSD. Before paying for a panel, ask what each test would look for and who will explain the results. Take any results to your GP so they sit in one record.

How long after stopping should I wait for tests? The criteria set no time for tests. They say ordinary side effects “may linger for some days or weeks”, and that once problems last three months, PSSD is more likely. You don’t need to wait to see your GP or to report it.

You may not leave the next appointment with every answer. Ask to leave knowing what has been checked, what’s still uncertain and what happens next. Our PSSD page is a good place to start.

Sources

1. Healy D, Bahrick A, Bak M and colleagues. Diagnostic criteria for enduring sexual dysfunction after treatment with antidepressants, finasteride and isotretinoin. Int J Risk Saf Med 2022;33(1):65-76. Proposed criteria developed through expert agreement; not a blood-test validation study. Section 3: necessary criterion 2, “An enduring change in somatic (tactile) or erogenous (sexual) genital sensation after treatment stops”; ancillary non-sexual symptoms “may include” “emotional numbing”, “depersonalization”, “other sensory problems involving skin, smell, taste or vision” and “cognitive impairment”. Criterion 8, under “There should be”: “No current medical conditions that could account for the symptoms.” Section 9 on hormones: borderline levels “may be a consequence of the conditions rather than a cause”. Section 9 on timing: side effects “may linger for some days or weeks”. Section 9 also: “once dysfunction lasts for three months, it is more likely to be PSSD”.
2. Healy D, Le Noury J, Mangin D. Post-SSRI sexual dysfunction: patient experiences of engagement with healthcare professionals. Int J Risk Saf Med 2019;30:167-178. Questionnaire answered by 62 people from 23 countries recruited through RxISK.org. Quotation from participant P4, section 3.2, quoted as published.
3. Hackett G, Kirby M, Wylie K and colleagues. British Society for Sexual Medicine guidelines on the management of erectile dysfunction in men, 2017. J Sex Med 2018;15(4):430-457. Abstract: fasting serum glucose, lipid profile and morning total testosterone “should be considered mandatory in all newly presenting patients”. Concerns men presenting with erectile dysfunction, not a PSSD testing protocol.
4. Lundbeck Limited. Cipralex (escitalopram) patient information leaflet, electronic Medicines Compendium, revised May 2025. Section 2: sexual problems “have continued after stopping treatment” in some cases. Section 4: “Increased blood levels of the hormone prolactin”.
5. NHS. Blood tests and Antidepressants.
6. GOV.UK. Report a problem with a medicine or medical device.
7. PSSD Network, Professor Joanna Moncrieff discusses Post-SSRI Sexual Dysfunction, June 2026. Used for general context, not as evidence about blood tests.
8. Moral Medicine, Interview with PSSD Network President Rosie, 9 July 2024.

Sources checked on 22 October 2026. AI-assisted writing and review, not clinical review.