Overview
- Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced the measure in a social‑media video that was posted Wednesday, saying annual testosterone tests will be added to the military’s periodic health assessment for service members aged 30 and older and that younger troops may opt in.
- The Pentagon says doctors may offer testosterone replacement therapy when low levels are identified but that any treatment would be voluntary for the service member.
- Medical experts warn that diagnosing low testosterone requires repeated morning tests and symptom assessment because levels fluctuate, and they say routine one‑time population screening risks false positives and unnecessary treatment.
- Doctors and lawmakers have raised safety and rights concerns, noting documented TRT risks such as reduced fertility, testicular atrophy and changes to blood thickness, and pointing out the Defense Department has not said whether female service members will receive comparable hormone screening.
- The announcement comes as the FDA has moved to ease prescribing limits on testosterone products and fits a pattern of Hegseth personnel changes that has drawn partisan scrutiny, prompting calls from Democrats for detailed protocols, data‑privacy rules and congressional oversight.