The most advanced way to understand your biology.
Genetic and epigenetic testing from Arc TRT.
Your DNA shapes how your body responds to testosterone, how you metabolise medication, your risk of hair loss, and how you age. Most clinics never look at this. We do.
Available as a standalone service for men who want to understand their biology in depth, or as part of a personalised TRT plan where it informs your protocol from day one.
Genetic and epigenetic testing, explained
These two terms often get used interchangeably, but they're genuinely different. Together they give you a complete picture of how your biology is set up and how it's currently functioning.
The blueprint you were born with
Reads your DNA — the genes you inherited, the variants that don't change.
Genetic testing identifies the specific variants in your DNA that influence how your body works. These are fixed from birth and don't change over your lifetime. What they tell us is what your body is naturally predisposed to do.
- How you metabolise testosterone
- Your aromatase activity (testosterone-to-oestrogen)
- Your 5-alpha reductase activity (DHT, hair loss risk)
- Your androgen receptor sensitivity
- Drug metabolism for common medications
How your genes are expressed right now
Reads how your body is currently using your DNA — changes over time, reflects lifestyle.
Epigenetic testing looks at which of your genes are currently active and how strongly they're being expressed. Unlike your DNA itself, this changes throughout your life based on diet, exercise, sleep, stress, environment and age. It's a snapshot of your biology today.
- Your biological age (often different from chronological)
- Current inflammatory state
- How your lifestyle is affecting your genes
- Markers of ageing and recovery
- Changes you can actually influence
What genetic and epigenetic testing reveals
Our testing panels cover a wide range of clinically meaningful markers across hormonal health, cardiovascular and metabolic risk, diet response, supplement requirements, and mental health traits, plus epigenetic insights into how your body is functioning today.
Testosterone response
How your body metabolises testosterone and how sensitively your tissues respond to it.
Oestrogen conversion
Your aromatase activity, predicting how much testosterone converts to oestrogen.
Hair loss risk
Your 5-alpha reductase activity, the genetic factor behind male pattern baldness.
Drug metabolism
How you process common medications, including TRT-related drugs and adjuncts.
Cardiovascular risk
Genetic indicators relevant to blood pressure, cholesterol metabolism and cardiovascular health.
Metabolic health
Genetic risks for type 2 diabetes, insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome traits.
Macronutrient response
How your body responds to carbohydrates, fats and protein, plus genetic vitamin deficiency risks.
Supplement needs & response
Which supplements you may benefit from based on your genetics, and how well you absorb and respond to them.
Mental health & traits
Genetic and epigenetic markers relevant to mood, stress response, sleep quality and psychological traits.
Biological age
How old your cells are actually behaving, compared to your chronological age.
Inflammation markers
Current epigenetic signals of systemic inflammation affecting your health.
Recovery & lifestyle impact
How well your body is currently repairing and what your sleep, diet, exercise and stress are doing to your genes.
A standalone service, or layered onto your TRT
Genetic and epigenetic testing works as a complete service in its own right. It also pairs powerfully with TRT, where it can refine and enhance an existing protocol.
Layer it onto your TRT to supercharge your protocol
For existing or new TRT patients, genetic and epigenetic testing can enhance your treatment. The results inform how your protocol could be refined: oestrogen management, dose adjustments, hair loss prevention, supplement strategy and lifestyle factors. This option includes an additional consultation with a genetic specialist to walk you through how diet, nutrition and other lifestyle adjuncts can enhance your TRT outcomes and overall health.
Get your genetics, with an optional doctor consultation
You don't need to be on TRT to benefit from genetic and epigenetic testing. Many people use this service as a standalone way to understand their biology in depth: their hormonal profile, cardiovascular and metabolic risks, dietary response, supplement needs, mental health traits and biological age. You can add a consultation with one of our doctors to interpret the results and turn them into a practical plan, or just take the report and use it however you choose.
Note: results typically take 3 to 6 weeks. If you're starting TRT, we recommend beginning your TRT protocol without waiting for genetic results, then refining the plan once your results come back.
The testing journey, step by step
Simple at home, clinically interpreted, and put to work in a way that's actually useful.
Get in touch about the service
We're not yet listing genetic and epigenetic testing as a direct purchase. Send us a message and we'll explain the options, costs and timeline, and confirm whether it's right for you.
Choose your testing scope
Genetic only, epigenetic only, or both. Standalone, or as part of TRT care. We'll help you pick what makes sense based on what you want to learn.
Receive your testing kit
A simple saliva or cheek-swab kit arrives by post. You collect the sample at home in a few minutes and post it back using the prepaid return envelope.
Lab analysis
Your sample is processed by a UK-accredited laboratory. Results typically take 3 to 6 weeks depending on the testing scope.
Doctor consultation
Your results are reviewed by a UK GMC-registered doctor and explained to you in a personal consultation. No raw numbers without context — every result interpreted in plain language.
Personalised recommendations
Based on your results, your doctor builds a set of actionable recommendations. If you're on TRT, this informs your protocol. If you're not, this informs how to approach your health going forward.
Is genetic and epigenetic testing right for you?
This service makes the most sense for men who want a deeper understanding of their biology than standard bloodwork can provide.
It's particularly useful if you:
- Have struggled to find the right TRT protocol elsewhere and want to understand why
- Have a family history of hair loss, cardiovascular issues, or metabolic disease
- Want a clinical baseline for biological age and current health state
- Are starting TRT and want the most personalised protocol possible
- Want to know what your lifestyle is actually doing to your body at the cellular level
Get in touch about genetic and epigenetic testing
We're not yet listing genetic and epigenetic testing as a direct online purchase. To start, send us a message and one of the team will get back to you with the details, pricing and next steps.
Tell us what you're looking for
Whether you're considering testing as part of a TRT plan, as a standalone service, or just want to understand it better before committing, drop us a message and we'll help you figure out the right next step.
support@arctrt.co.uk · 023 8168 2004
Frequently asked questions
Genetic testing reads your DNA — the fixed code you inherited at birth. It tells us what your body is predisposed to do. Epigenetic testing looks at how your genes are currently being expressed, which changes throughout your life based on lifestyle and environment. Genetic testing tells us your blueprint. Epigenetic testing tells us how that blueprint is currently being used. Together they give a much fuller picture than either alone.
No. Genetic and epigenetic testing is available as a completely standalone service. Many men use it to understand their biology in depth without ever being on TRT. If you're considering TRT, the testing can inform your protocol. If you're not, the testing still gives you useful insights into your health, biological age, and lifestyle impact.
Most genetic and epigenetic tests use a saliva sample or cheek swab, collected at home with a kit we send you. It takes a few minutes. You then post the sample back to the lab using the prepaid envelope included. Some specialised epigenetic testing uses a small blood sample instead — we'll confirm which applies to your specific testing scope.
Typically 3 to 6 weeks from the day the lab receives your sample. Genetic testing is usually faster (around 3 to 4 weeks). Epigenetic testing takes longer because it requires more processing (4 to 6 weeks). We'll confirm timelines when you enquire.
Pricing varies depending on the scope of testing (genetic only, epigenetic only, or both) and whether it's being used standalone or as part of a TRT plan. Because we're still refining how the service is offered, we don't have direct purchase pricing online yet. Send us a message and we'll give you a clear quote based on what you're looking for.
Yes. Your DNA and epigenetic data are treated as confidential medical information under UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018. Your data is not sold, not shared with third parties for marketing, and not used for research without explicit consent. We work with UK-accredited laboratories that follow the same standards.
Our testing does cover specific genetic risk traits and lifestyle response markers. The panel typically includes:
Cardiovascular & metabolic
- Type 2 diabetes risk
- High blood pressure (hypertension) risk
- Cholesterol metabolism (LDL, HDL, triglycerides)
- Coronary heart disease markers
- Insulin sensitivity
- Metabolic syndrome traits
- Obesity predisposition
Diet & nutrition response
- Carbohydrate sensitivity
- Saturated fat sensitivity
- Lactose intolerance
- Gluten sensitivity
- Caffeine metabolism
- Alcohol metabolism and flush risk
- Salt sensitivity
- Bitter taste perception
Vitamin & supplement needs
- Vitamin D deficiency risk
- Vitamin B12 deficiency risk
- Folate processing (MTHFR variants)
- Vitamin A conversion (beta-carotene to retinol)
- Iron metabolism and storage
- Omega-3 fatty acid response
- Magnesium status
Musculoskeletal & injury
- Osteoarthritis risk
- Achilles tendon injury risk
- Ligament and soft tissue injury susceptibility
- Bone density and osteoporosis risk
- Muscle composition (power vs endurance fibre)
- Recovery rate from exercise
Hormonal & reproductive
- Testosterone metabolism
- Oestrogen conversion (aromatase activity)
- 5-alpha reductase activity (DHT, hair loss)
- Androgen receptor sensitivity
- Cortisol response
Mental health & cognition
- Stress response and resilience
- Anxiety predisposition
- Mood regulation markers
- Sleep quality and chronotype
- Memory and cognitive traits
- Addiction susceptibility
Skin & ageing
- Collagen breakdown rate
- UV sensitivity and skin damage risk
- Antioxidant capacity
- Biological age (epigenetic)
Drug & substance metabolism
- Common medication metabolism (CYP450 enzymes)
- Pain medication response
- TRT and related drug processing
That said, this isn't a comprehensive genetic disease screen. We don't provide clinical genetic testing for serious inherited disorders like cancer, BRCA mutations or rare genetic diseases. If you're concerned about those, your GP can refer you to NHS clinical genetics. Our testing is about optimisation, risk awareness and personalisation, not diagnosis of inherited illness.
Your genetic results don't change. Your DNA is fixed at birth. Your epigenetic results do change, because they reflect how your body is currently functioning. Some people choose to retest their epigenetics every 12 to 24 months to track whether lifestyle changes are actually moving the needle.
Ready to understand your biology in detail?
Whether you want it as part of a personalised TRT plan or as a standalone service to understand your health, the first step is the same. Send us a message and we'll take it from there.
Get in touch →Learn about personalised TRT →