Prateek Tanmay
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth speaks at the United States Army War College in Carlisle, Pa., during the Pennsylvania Defense and Innovation Summit. (Photo: AP) US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered yearly testosterone-deficiency screening for active-duty and reserve service members aged 30 and above, saying it will help keep the military ready for combat. But several doctors warn the policy may not achieve much, and could even raise the risk of infertility or other harm if testosterone ends up being prescribed when it isn’t needed.
The order joins other Trump-era health decisions questioned for their scientific basis, including a reversed flu jab rule and a reshuffled vaccine panel.
Of six experts Reuters spoke to, five were puzzled by the move, and four said there’s no strong evidence that screening everyone over 30 improves readiness.
Medical bodies recommend testosterone treatment only for confirmed deficiency with symptoms like low sex drive or reduced muscle mass, not age alone. Dr Kevin McVary said prescribing without symptoms risks overtreatment; Dr Haleem Mohammed noted that decline varies widely between people of the same age.
What risks are experts flagging
Every expert flagged fertility risks, warning unnecessary testosterone can shrink the testes with no guaranteed recovery, plus risks like thickened blood and mood swings.
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The FDA recently eased a heart-risk warning on testosterone labels, though the underlying study also found higher rates of abnormal heart rhythm and bone fractures.
Does ‘Operator Syndrome’ justify it?
Hegseth cited “Operator Syndrome”, seen in special forces troops. Dr B. Christopher Frueh, who identified the condition, said operators are an extreme case unrepresentative of the wider force, questioning universal screening.
Some experts still see value in wider testing. Mohammed said testosterone levels are one of the most useful health markers available for men, and that broader screening could pick up reversible causes of low testosterone, such as being overweight among reservists, alongside genuine deficiency cases with both groups benefiting from doctor-guided care.
The Pentagon hasn’t said anything about how abnormal results will be handled, or whether screening will apply equally to men and women. Frueh said broader testing could also reveal new information about female service members’ hormone levels, even though testosterone replacement itself is unlikely to apply to most women.
(With inputs from Reuters)
