Pentagon mandates testosterone screening for troops aged 30+, experts question evidence
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered annual testosterone-deficiency screening for all active-duty and reserve service members aged 30 and older, citing military readiness. However, five of six men’s health experts contacted by Reuters expressed concern, warning the mandate lacks scientific evidence and could lead to unnecessary or harmful treatments, including infertility and cardiovascular risks. Medical guidelines recommend testosterone therapy only for symptomatic patients with confirmed deficiency. Critics note age 30 is not a valid screening threshold. The policy is part of broader controversial healthcare changes by the Trump administration.
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Doctors question evidence behind Pentagon plan for testosterone screening
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered annual testosterone-deficiency screening for active-duty and reserve service members aged 30 and older, citing military readiness. However, five of six men's health experts contacted by Reuters expressed puzzlement and concern, warning the mandate lacks solid evidence and could lead to unnecessary or harmful treatment, including infertility risks. The American Urological Association and Endocrine Society recommend testosterone supplementation only for symptomatic patients with confirmed deficiency. Critics note that testosterone levels naturally decline with age starting at 30, but population patterns vary. The mandate is part of a series of controversial healthcare policy changes by the Trump administration, including a reversed flu vaccine mandate and alterations to vaccine advisory panels. The Pentagon declined further comment.
Doctors question evidence behind Pentagon's testosterone screening plan
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered annual testosterone-deficiency screening for active-duty and reserve service members aged 30 and older, claiming it will maintain military readiness. However, five of six men's health experts contacted by Reuters expressed puzzlement and concern, warning the mandate could lead to unnecessary or harmful treatment, including infertility and cardiovascular risks. The American Urological Association and Endocrine Society recommend testosterone supplementation only for symptomatic patients with confirmed deficiency. Critics note that age 30 is not an appropriate screening threshold and that most studies focus on older men. The policy is one of several controversial healthcare changes by the Trump administration, including reversal of the flu vaccine mandate. The Pentagon declined further comment beyond its official statement.
Doctors Question Evidence Behind Pentagon's Testosterone Screening Plan
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered annual testosterone-deficiency screening for active-duty and reserve service members aged 30 and older, citing military readiness. However, five of six men's health experts contacted by Reuters expressed puzzlement and concern, warning the mandate could lead to unnecessary or harmful treatment, including infertility and heart risks. The American Urological Association and Endocrine Society recommend testosterone therapy only for symptomatic patients with confirmed deficiency. Critics note that age 30 is not a valid screening threshold and that evidence for performance benefits in younger men is lacking. The policy is part of a series of controversial healthcare changes by the Trump administration, including reversing the flu vaccine mandate. The Pentagon declined further comment.
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Doctors Question Evidence Behind Pentagon's Testosterone Screening Plan
The Pentagon, under Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, has mandated annual testosterone-deficiency screening for all active-duty and reserve service members aged 30 and older, citing military readiness. However, five of six men's health experts contacted by Reuters expressed puzzlement and concern, warning the policy could lead to unnecessary or harmful treatment, including infertility and heart risks. The American Urological Association and Endocrine Society recommend testosterone therapy only for symptomatic patients with confirmed deficiency. Critics note that age 30 is not a scientifically valid screening threshold and that evidence for performance benefits in younger men is lacking. The policy is part of a series of controversial healthcare changes by the Trump administration, including reversing the flu vaccine mandate and altering vaccine advisory panels. The Pentagon declined further comment.
Doctors question evidence behind Pentagon's testosterone screening plan
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered annual testosterone-deficiency screening for active-duty and reserve service members aged 30 and older, claiming it will maintain military readiness. However, five of six men's health experts contacted by Reuters expressed puzzlement and concern, warning the mandate may lead to unnecessary or harmful treatment, including infertility and heart risks. The American Urological Association and Endocrine Society recommend testosterone supplementation only for symptomatic patients. Critics note that age 30 is not an appropriate screening threshold and that evidence for performance benefits is not concrete. The mandate is part of broader controversial healthcare policy changes by the Trump administration, including reversing the flu vaccine mandate and altering vaccine advisory panels.
Doctors question evidence behind Pentagon's testosterone screening plan
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered annual testosterone-deficiency screening for active-duty and reserve service members aged 30 and older, claiming it will maintain military readiness. However, most medical experts contacted by Reuters expressed concern that the mandate lacks solid scientific evidence and could lead to unnecessary or harmful treatment, including infertility and cardiovascular risks. The American Urological Association and Endocrine Society recommend testosterone supplementation only for symptomatic patients with confirmed deficiency. Critics note that widespread screening without preliminary data is premature, and that testosterone therapy can shrink testes and impair fertility, which is particularly concerning for younger service members. The policy is part of a series of controversial healthcare changes by the Trump administration, including reversing the flu vaccine mandate.
Doctors Question Evidence Behind Pentagon's Testosterone Screening Plan
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered annual testosterone-deficiency screening for active-duty and reserve service members aged 30 and older, citing military readiness. However, five of six men's health experts contacted by Reuters expressed concern that the mandate lacks solid scientific evidence and could lead to unnecessary or harmful treatment, including infertility and cardiovascular risks. Medical guidelines recommend testosterone therapy only for symptomatic patients with confirmed deficiency, not blanket screening. Critics note that most studies on testosterone replacement involve older men, not the younger military population. The policy is part of a series of controversial healthcare changes by the Trump administration, including reversing the flu vaccine mandate. The Pentagon declined further comment.
Doctors question evidence behind Pentagon’s testosterone screening plan
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered annual testosterone-deficiency screening for active-duty and reserve service members aged 30 and older, citing military readiness. However, five of six men's health experts contacted by Reuters expressed puzzlement and concern, warning the mandate could lead to unnecessary or harmful treatment, including infertility and heart risks. The American Urological Association and Endocrine Society recommend testosterone therapy only for symptomatic patients with confirmed deficiency. Critics note that age 30 is not an appropriate screening threshold and that evidence for performance benefits in younger men is lacking. The policy is part of broader controversial healthcare changes by the Trump administration, including reversing the flu vaccine mandate and altering vaccine advisory panels. The Pentagon declined further comment.
Doctors question evidence behind Pentagon’s testosterone screening plan
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered annual testosterone-deficiency screening for active-duty and reserve service members aged 30 and older, citing military readiness. However, five of six men's health experts contacted by Reuters expressed concern, warning the mandate lacks solid evidence and could lead to unnecessary or harmful treatment, including infertility and cardiovascular risks. The American Urological Association and Endocrine Society recommend testosterone therapy only for symptomatic patients. Critics note that age 30 is not an appropriate screening threshold and that widespread implementation without preliminary data is premature. The policy is part of broader controversial healthcare changes by the Trump administration, including reversing the flu vaccine mandate and altering vaccine advisory panels.
Doctors Question Evidence Behind Pentagon's Testosterone Screening Plan
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered annual testosterone-deficiency screening for active-duty and reserve service members aged 30 and older, citing military readiness. However, five of six men's health experts contacted by Reuters expressed puzzlement and concern that the mandate could lead to unnecessary or harmful treatment, including infertility and heart risks. The American Urological Association and Endocrine Society recommend testosterone therapy only for symptomatic patients. Critics note that screening without symptoms risks overtreatment, and that widespread implementation lacks preliminary study data. The policy is part of broader Trump administration healthcare changes, including reversal of the flu vaccine mandate and alterations to vaccine advisory panels. The Pentagon declined further comment.
Doctors Question Evidence Behind Pentagon’s Testosterone Screening Plan
The Pentagon, under Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, has mandated annual testosterone-deficiency screening for all active-duty and reserve service members aged 30 and older, citing military readiness. However, five of six men's health experts contacted by Reuters expressed puzzlement and concern, warning the policy could lead to unnecessary or harmful treatment, including infertility and heart risks. The American Urological Association and Endocrine Society recommend testosterone therapy only for symptomatic patients with confirmed deficiency. Critics note that age 30 is not a medically appropriate screening threshold and that evidence for performance benefits in younger men is lacking. The policy is part of a series of controversial healthcare changes by the Trump administration, including reversing the flu vaccine mandate and altering vaccine advisory panels. The Pentagon declined further comment beyond its official statement.
Doctors question evidence behind Pentagon’s testosterone screening plan
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered annual testosterone-deficiency screening for active-duty and reserve service members aged 30 and older, citing military readiness. However, five of six men's health experts contacted by Reuters expressed puzzlement and concern, warning that the mandate could lead to unnecessary or harmful treatment, including infertility and cardiovascular risks. The American Urological Association and Endocrine Society recommend testosterone supplementation only for symptomatic patients. Critics note that age 30 is not an appropriate screening threshold and that evidence for performance benefits is not concrete. The policy is one of several controversial healthcare changes by the Trump administration, including reversal of the flu vaccine mandate and alterations to vaccine advisory panels. The Pentagon declined further comment.
Doctors question evidence behind Pentagon’s testosterone screening plan
The Pentagon, under Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, has ordered annual testosterone-deficiency screening for active-duty and reserve service members aged 30 and older, citing military readiness. However, five of six men’s health experts contacted by Reuters expressed concern, warning that the mandate lacks solid scientific evidence and could lead to unnecessary or harmful treatment, including infertility and cardiovascular risks. Medical guidelines recommend testosterone therapy only for symptomatic patients, not blanket screening. Critics note that age 30 is not an appropriate screening threshold and that most studies focus on older men. The policy is part of a series of controversial healthcare changes by the Trump administration, including reversing the flu vaccine mandate and altering vaccine advisory panels. The Pentagon declined further comment.
Doctors Question Evidence Behind Pentagon's Testosterone Screening Plan
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered annual testosterone-deficiency screening for active-duty and reserve service members aged 30 and older, citing military readiness. However, five of six men's health experts contacted by Reuters expressed concern that the mandate lacks solid scientific evidence and may lead to unnecessary or harmful treatment, including infertility, testicular shrinkage, and cardiovascular risks. The American Urological Association and Endocrine Society recommend testosterone supplementation only for symptomatic patients with confirmed deficiency. Critics note that age 30 is not an appropriate screening threshold and that widespread implementation without preliminary data is premature. The policy is one of several controversial healthcare changes by the Trump administration, including a reversed flu vaccine mandate and altered vaccine advisory panels. The Pentagon declined further comment.
Doctors Question Evidence Behind Pentagon's Testosterone Screening Plan
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered annual testosterone-deficiency screening for active-duty and reserve service members aged 30 and older, citing military readiness. However, five of six men's health experts contacted by Reuters expressed puzzlement and concern that the mandate could lead to unnecessary or harmful treatment, including infertility and heart risks. Medical guidelines recommend testosterone therapy only for symptomatic patients, not blanket screening. Critics note that evidence for performance benefits is not concrete, and that widespread screening without preliminary study data is premature. The policy is part of a series of controversial healthcare changes by the Trump administration, including reversing the flu vaccine mandate.
Doctors question evidence behind Pentagon’s testosterone screening plan
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered annual testosterone-deficiency screening for active-duty and reserve service members aged 30 and older, claiming it will maintain military readiness. However, five of six men's health experts contacted by Reuters expressed puzzlement and concern, warning the mandate could lead to unnecessary or harmful treatment, including infertility and other risks. The American Urological Association and Endocrine Society recommend testosterone supplementation only for symptomatic patients with confirmed deficiency. Critics note that age 30 is not an appropriate screening threshold, and that most studies have been conducted on older men. The FDA recently removed a warning about heart attack and stroke risks from testosterone labels, but a study showed higher rates of atrial arrhythmia and bone fractures. The mandate is part of broader controversial healthcare policy changes by the Trump administration, including reversing the flu vaccine mandate.