WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced Wednesday that he is rolling out a new screening program for “testosterone deficiency” among troops, calling it necessary to allow them to operate at their “absolute best.”.
In a video on social media, Hegseth said receiving testosterone replacement therapy would be voluntary.
(AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File) A vial of testosterone cypionate in Columbus, Ohio, on Jan. 18, 2024.
In the video, Hegseth simply refers to troops, though it appears he is talking about only testing men in uniform for hormone irregularities.
Over the past several years, special operations troops — and specifically Navy SEALs — have come under scrutiny for their use of testosterone and similar substances to enhance performance.
Testosterone levels in men decline naturally with age and have long been linked to issues like erectile dysfunction, low libido, mood changes and weight gain.
The current FDA label specifies that the medications are only for men with hypogonadism, a medical condition that causes drastically low testosterone. »