“High T Department”: Hegseth approves of testosterone testing in the military

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced that military personnel age 30 and older will be tested for testosterone deficiency as part of their annual health check.

In a video posted on X, titled “High T Department,” Hegseth says he’s authorizing the screening program for soldiers “to ensure you have the right amount of testosterone to perform at your absolute best.”

Soldiers with low testosterone are voluntarily given hormone replacement therapy. The exams will be optional for those below 30 years of age.

Heggs did not say whether the test would be applicable to women, whose testosterone levels decline with age.

“We owe our war veterans the absolute best medical care in the world. This program delivers on that obligation,” Heggs said in a video Wednesday.

“Taking care of your long-term health means staying strong, resilient and capable – not just for your next job, but for the rest of your life so you can thrive long after you leave the uniform,” he added.

Taking testosterone without a doctor’s prescription as an artificial muscle is strictly prohibited in the military for non-medical reasons.

Hegseth said in the video that the new program is “not about artificial enhancement.”

Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement that the mandatory testing for testosterone deficiency will be effective immediately for all active duty and reserve members age 30 and older.

“The protocol will allow the department to establish a comprehensive baseline and provide targeted testosterone therapy, which will maintain a healthy, capable and determined combat force,” he said.

Asked whether male and female soldiers would be tested and whether female soldiers could be evaluated for estrogen-based treatment as they enter perimenopause, the Pentagon said it had no comment on Hegseth and Parnell’s statements.

Iraqi Democratic Senator Tammy Duckworth, an Iraq War veteran and member of the Armed Services Committee, called on the Secretary of Defense to require hormone testing for both men and women.

Congresswoman Chrissy Houlahan, a Pennsylvania Democrat and Air Force veteran, dismissed Hughes’ “latest culture-war obsession” on X.

Dr Mohit Khera, who chaired a US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) expert panel last year, told the BBC on Wednesday that all men over the age of 30 should be screened as it is a key indicator of a man’s overall current and future health.

“The bottom line here is that a lot of young men have low testosterone, which puts them at a disadvantage in terms of muscle mass, strength, muscle mass, energy, and strength, and that can be a problem if you’re in a fight,” said Kera, MD, professor of urology at Baylor College of Medicine.

But he added, “You have to be careful not to give someone just testosterone unless they have some sort of symptom.”

The benefits of hormone replacement therapy include increased muscle mass, decreased body fat and reduced risk of depression, he said. Over time, Kera added, it may also help with bone mineral density.

However, he cautioned that it is not for everyone.

“If young men take testosterone, it makes them sterile,” Kera said. “You have to be careful, you have to make sure someone understands that if they’re in their reproductive years, they’re going to make you infertile.”

In addition, theoretically, it can cause an increase in cardiovascular risk.

Hughes’ announcement came after US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and other administration officials sought to remove barriers to medical professionals prescribing testosterone for men.

The health secretary floated it as a solution to the national “fertility crisis”.

The FDA last month requested the removal of safety and efficacy language from testosterone replacement therapy product labels and proposed prescription restrictions for testosterone products.