Pentagon rolls out guidelines to test service members for testosterone

The Pentagon will begin requiring male service members ages 30 and older to get screened for testosterone deficiency, the military announced Wednesday, after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth called for the change over the summer.

The Defense Health Agency released a set of clinical guidelines for the tests, which will take place during service members’ regular health assessments.

It calls for screenings and blood tests for active-duty troops and reservists ages 30 and over. Service members who are diagnosed with hypogonadism, or low testosterone, will get follow-up screenings and treatment, including testosterone replacement therapy, if needed.

Hegseth said in July that if treatment is recommended for service members, “it’s entirely your choice to receive testosterone replacement therapy.”

Male service members under the age of 30 will be offered optional annual screenings.

The guidelines call for female service members to be asked if they have any symptoms of hormonal dysregulation and referred for further assessment if needed.

In a statement, the Defense Department said its goal is to “invest in the health of its warfighters, strengthen their performance, and maximize force readiness.”

The testing push comes two and a half months after Hegseth announced the military would be introducing mandatory testosterone screening in a social media video titled “The High-T Department of War.”

“This initiative, it’s not about artificial enhancement. It’s about restoring and optimizing your natural capabilities, protecting your longevity and ensuring you have the biological foundation required to sustain the fight,” the defense secretary said.

The health guidance issued Wednesday calls testosterone levels a “critical biological marker for Warfighter readiness, directly impacting physical strength, bone density, aerobic fitness, depressive symptoms, and cardiovascular health.” 

It also warns that service members may be particularly at risk of decreased testosterone.

Medical experts have pointed to that risk in the past. Army Major Theodore Criostomo-Wynne, a Madigan Army Center urologist, said during a Food and Drug Administration panel last year that “the high operations tempo and high stress that these service members go through can actually decrease testosterone, sometimes acutely and sometimes even in the long term.”

Some studies indicate that service members in high-stress roles — including members of the Special Operations Forces — face an especially high risk of hormone issues and other medical conditions, a condition researchers have called “Operator Syndrome.” 

Crisostomo-Wynne said last year the phenomenon may be linked to the “chronic stress, blast exposure, traumatic brain injuries and sleep disruptions” that some service members face.