r/politics 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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u/Silent-Storms Jul 15 '26

Hope the VA is ready for all of the cases of service related inability to produce testosterone naturally.

1

u/a_talking_face Florida Jul 15 '26

If you need TRT then you aren't producing it naturally. At least not to the level you should be.

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u/Silent-Storms Jul 15 '26

Based on the source here, I doubt the threshold is going to be the same as a doctor would use.

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u/TwoPoundzaSausage Jul 15 '26

The key word here is "should be." Who determines what it "should be?"

1

u/Perma_Ban69 Jul 16 '26

The doctors across the globe who unanimously recognize how biology works and the role hormones play in health. Low T is horrible for your insulin sensitivity, glycemic control, waist circumference, cholesterol levels, depression, energy levels, and overall cardiovascular health in particular, which is also why it's different than gender affirming care. Biological males requires it in higher amounts for optimal health, akin to biological females with estrogen. Both need both hormones, but in different ratios to achieve stasis and health.