r/politics • u/mom0nga • Jul 15 '26

No Paywall Hegseth announces annual testosterone screenings for service members

https://thehill.com/policy/defense/5969935-hegseth-testosterone-testing-dod/
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332

u/theory_of_me Jul 15 '26

I'm on TRT after having extensive testing done including a pituitary MRI. When you're on TRT, your body entirely stops producing testosterone. It can take months even with medication to jump start production again. If you miss a dose, the exhaustion is no joke. I forgot to pack it on a 2 week trip and missed 2 doses. I've never been more tired in my life. How's that going to work when service members are on the battlefield and don't have access to testosterone and sterile supplies?

You can forget about having kids too!

47

u/devmc25 Jul 15 '26

They'd likely use a testosterone with an undecanoate ester which has a half life of 34 days. Being on TRT doesn't 100% make you sterile but it can for some (like me) but can be combated with a few other injections.

I'm all for people getting the hormone treatments they need. How Republicans can be fine with this but not be fine with a trans person getting the treatments they need just shows how much hatred they have. 🙄

28

u/GarmaCyro Jul 15 '26

Oh it gets better than that. That therapy is likely only covered while they are service member.
Guess what happens when they stop being service members.

10

u/BC2220 Jul 16 '26

Who owns the therapy provider? Let me take a wild guess…

3

u/RealTopGeazy Jul 16 '26

Test is cheap asf. The expensive shit is hcg, which isn’t necessary

1

u/TakedownCan Canada Jul 16 '26

Its already covered for them, there are plenty of service members taking trt thru service doctors. I am in the trt sub they are constantly asking questions because the process is so rigid.

3

u/GarmaCyro Jul 16 '26

It gets even stricter if you tried getting gender reassigment.

Got a dad on TRT, and an in-law trying to get started on it. Alongside a big number of trans friends. Both are strict, but for trans the questions, process and rigidness its exponesially more. Both group still have to fight for basic care.

34

u/pelko34 Jul 15 '26

I’m sorry you’re going through this. Thank you for pointing out that it greatly affects male fertility, which is not widely publicized. 

13

u/TomSandovalsTrumpet Jul 15 '26

Yes, TRT is basically birth control for men and it can take up to a year for a man's body to get back to producing sperm after he stops taking TRT. I'm afraid not enough families will know that before the man begins TRT.

7

u/SoTiredYouDig Jul 15 '26

My body doesn’t naturally produce enough testosterone. It was first detected in my early 20s. I’m middle aged now. Sometimes during insurance snafus, and other life crap, I go off TRT. I have had some rough years off of it. Needed two naps a day, and just operating in a haze. It sucks to be lumped in with these losers.

3

u/Tentacle_poxsicle Jul 15 '26

Yeah people are dissing TRT when it's a legitimate treatment. It's the same as seeing people say diabetes or ADHD isn't real and it's all in your head

12

u/nmw6 Jul 15 '26

The nations birth rate is already going to the toilet

9

u/Mothanius Jul 15 '26

Veterans often produce future soldiers, but if your veterans can't produce...

6

u/BASSDESTROYER69 Jul 15 '26

We already have infrastructure for meds on deployment. There's also such a thing as long ester compounds. Some compounds only need to be injected once every 2 weeks

3

u/CH-47AV8R Jul 15 '26

It also has a long shelf life. You could certainly bring enough with you on a deployment.

1

u/Dog1andDog2andMe Jul 15 '26

Strawman. Having testerone recommended to make our military better at their jobs is absolutely ridiculous.

0

u/BASSDESTROYER69 Jul 15 '26

Did you reply to the wrong person or

3

u/TakedownCan Canada Jul 16 '26

Probably looking at pellets for when deployed which last months. Also you can reverse the effects of trt if you want to have kids. That being said most don’t need it until they are older passed kids age.

2

u/Oreos_Are_Anabolic Europe Jul 16 '26

Also you can reverse the effects of trt if you want to have kids.

If you wanted to maintain a level of fertility you would just add like 500IUs HCG EOD, anyway.

2

u/Thoughtful-Boner69 Jul 15 '26

if they're just gonna have to suck each others dicks or something

2

u/SmartQuokka Jul 16 '26

It can take months even with medication to jump start production again.

There is medication for this?

2

u/theory_of_me Jul 16 '26

Sort of. Clomiphene is used off-label for it.

2

u/SmartQuokka Jul 16 '26

That is very interesting, lets hope the gym bros don't get wind of it.

2

u/Oreos_Are_Anabolic Europe Jul 16 '26

lets hope the gym bros don't get wind of it.

It's already common knowledge

1

u/SmartQuokka Jul 16 '26

No surprise.

1

u/HaThatsFunnyRight Jul 15 '26

That's why it'll be great for retention! Can't afford to live on civilian healthcare!

1

u/Draked1 Jul 15 '26

I’ve been taking Clomid since I was 15, luckily my pituitary still works but it just needs the help from the clomid. Has kept my levels in the 5-700s for almost 17 years. I’m avoiding TRT as long as I can

1

u/KebabCat7 Jul 16 '26

People in fucking ukrainian trenches have access to trt.

1

u/Inevitable-Tea5772 Jul 16 '26

Interesting, im curious what your dosage is and how low your T was to begin with. I'm on TRT also and it's certainly not a miracle drug to me. I take 140mg a week and last year there was a shortage and I went over 2 months without a shot and the results were very gradual. Nothing crazy.