Hegseth Orders Testosterone Screening for 451,000 Troops, Raising VA Capacity and Overprescription Concerns
Updated
Updated · The Intercept · Jul 24
Hegseth Orders Testosterone Screening for 451,000 Troops, Raising VA Capacity and Overprescription Concerns
3 articles · Updated · The Intercept · Jul 24
Summary
Annual testosterone screening would cover roughly 451,000 active-duty troops age 31 and older, with under-30 service members able to request testing, under Pete Hegseth’s new Pentagon initiative.
Doctors say screening asymptomatic troops could spur unnecessary hormone therapy because testosterone levels fluctuate and about one-third of initially low results test normal on a second check.
Testosterone treatment can suppress sperm counts, require ongoing monitoring and create long-term care needs that may follow service members into the VA system, where abrupt stoppage is not advised.
A 2018 VA inspector general review found providers often started therapy without documenting symptoms or confirming low levels, and about 2 in 3 patients lacked documented risk-benefit counseling before treatment.
The VA did not say whether it has capacity or a transition plan for veterans arriving on Pentagon-initiated therapy, while critics note TRICARE still generally excludes infertility treatments that can cost tens of thousands of dollars.