Military to screen troops for low testosterone, Hegseth says
The Trump administration is moving to make it easier for men to obtain prescriptions for testosterone, with Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and other senior officials backing the effort. The initiative is the latest shift in a decades-long debate over the benefits and risks of replacing the hormone that affects sex drive, mood and other health factors.
On Tuesday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced that the military would begin screening for low testosterone and offering the hormone as a way to help troops operate at their “absolute best.”
The administration’s push aligns with the advice of many online influencers and podcasters, including men’s health gurus who tout testosterone as a way to boost muscle and energy. Medical experts say the notion of testosterone as an all-purpose elixir for strength and vitality is not supported by the science.
A decade of new research has bolstered the case for testosterone’s benefits for sexual health while allaying concerns about its impact on the heart, medical experts said.
“Many providers have been trained for years that these were real issues, and they were scared to get a testosterone reading from a patient or offer them testosterone therapy,” said Dr. Justin Dubin, a urologist at Baptist Health Miami Cancer Institute.