{"id":776971,"date":"2026-07-22T02:05:09","date_gmt":"2026-07-22T02:05:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/776971\/"},"modified":"2026-07-22T02:05:09","modified_gmt":"2026-07-22T02:05:09","slug":"testosterone-testing-the-military-how-the-manosphere-shaped-us-government-policy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/776971\/","title":{"rendered":"Testosterone testing the military: how the manosphere shaped US government policy"},"content":{"rendered":"

The United States Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has ordered<\/a> all active duty and reserve personnel aged 30 and over be screened for testosterone deficiency as part of their periodic health assessment. Those younger than 30 can opt in.<\/p>\n

In a video<\/a> called \u201cThe High T Department of War\u201d, Hegseth said the initiative is \u201cnot about artificial enhancement\u201d. Instead:<\/p>\n

it\u2019s about restoring and optimising your natural capabilities, protecting your longevity, ensuring you have the biological foundation required to sustain the fight.<\/p>\n

Taken at face value, this is simply an announcement of a new health measure. But widespread screening for testosterone deficiency among otherwise healthy personnel is not established medical practice, and has potential drawbacks.<\/p>\n

The policy also presents testosterone levels as a measure of \u201cmanhood\u201d and \u201clethality\u201d. This not only embraces the manosphere<\/a>, it embeds it into US government policy.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Read more:
\n From violence to sexism, the manosphere is doing real-world harm<\/a><\/p>\n

Yes, testosterone levels decline<\/p>\n

As Hegseth notes, male testosterone levels decline with age<\/a>, particularly after 40. But that\u2019s not necessarily a health problem. It may simply reflect normal ageing.<\/p>\n

A lower testosterone level is no simple measure of military capability<\/a> or strength<\/a>. Training, sleep and nutrition are among other factors at play.<\/p>\n

A single testosterone result is also an unreliable basis for diagnosis.<\/p>\n

The American Urological Association guidelines<\/a> state that diagnosing low testosterone requires two separate measurements, taken on different mornings (when blood testosterone peaks). That\u2019s because single testosterone readings can fluctuate greatly between samples.<\/p>\n

The person must also have symptoms of low testosterone,<\/a> such as reduced libido or erectile dysfunction.<\/p>\n

So mass screening of otherwise healthy men aged 30 and over \u2013 particularly active-duty personnel, who are generally healthier than the rest of the population<\/a> \u2013 can lead to false positives. <\/p>\n

In other words, this could lead to men being told they are testosterone \u201cdeficient\u201d when they are not.<\/p>\n

Read more:
\n Testosterone and combat readiness: what does the evidence really show?<\/a><\/p>\n

Testosterone replacement carries risks<\/p>\n

Hegseth says men will be given the choice<\/a> to have testosterone therapy if they are found to have low levels. <\/p>\n

But choice in the military is not the same as choice as a civilian. Personnel who are offered testosterone therapy after a low screening result may feel pressure to accept treatment, even if they have no symptoms.<\/p>\n

For men with appropriately diagnosed low testosterone levels (hypogonadism) caused by a disorder affecting the testes, pituitary gland or hypothalamus, testosterone replacement therapy is an established treatment with clear benefits<\/a>.<\/p>\n

But a one-off, low screening result, or the normal decline associated with ageing, does not necessarily justify treatment. <\/p>\n

For men without confirmed symptomatic hypogonadism who nevertheless begin testosterone therapy in search of a physical or psychological \u201cboost\u201d, treatment can introduce harms without an established medical benefit.<\/p>\n

Read more:
\n What men should know before signing up for testosterone \u2018optimisation\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n

Testosterone can raise the proportion<\/a> of red blood cell volume (haematocrit). This requires regular monitoring to minimise the risk of major cardiovascular events, such as heart attack, stroke and venous thromboembolism<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Other recognised risks include<\/a> testicular shrinkage, reduced sperm production and infertility, acne, and breast enlargement.<\/p>\n

Testosterone therapy can lead to physiological dependence<\/a>. This makes it difficult to stop treatment without symptoms such as<\/a> fatigue, reduced libido and erectile dysfunction. <\/p>\n

Some men also rely on testosterone therapy to maintain<\/a> perceived wellbeing, physical appearance or performance.<\/p>\n

How the manosphere became US policy<\/p>\n

The manosphere has co-opted testosterone as a biological marker of masculinity, virility, power and now \u201clethality\u201d. The message is that a low testosterone level \u2013 or \u201clow T\u201d \u2013 is something to fear and fix. But a \u201chigh T\u201d is a marker of a \u201creal man\u201d or good soldier.<\/p>\n

A study out earlier this year<\/a> looked at 46 high-engagement social media posts with \u201clow T\u201d content on Instagram and TikTok . The posts tended to portray testosterone as a marker of a \u201creal man\u201d. This type of content fits with manosphere norms of male dominance and hierarchy.<\/p>\n

The US government\u2019s decision to screen military personnel for testosterone deficiency now gives this concern about supposedly \u201clow T\u201d men the official stamp of approval.<\/p>\n

This same cultural movement has helped fuel the T-maxxing phenomenon<\/a>. This encourages mainly boys and young men<\/a> to chase testosterone without medical need under the influence of figures who equate manhood with dominance.<\/p>\n

Such regressive expressions of masculinity<\/a> have also become increasingly prominent in parts of the US political administration. <\/p>\n

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr has said<\/a> he takes testosterone. He has claimed<\/a> (without support) that a US teenager now has less testosterone than a man in his late 60s.<\/p>\n

Earlier this year, the US Food and Drug Administration under Robert F. Kennedy Jr loosened restrictions<\/a> on testosterone prescribing<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Even for a soldier, ageing is normal<\/p>\n

The military is unique. It demands exceptional<\/a> health, fitness and cognitive standards from its workforce, who are placed in exceptional circumstances, such as active war zones.<\/p>\n

Testosterone is an important hormone. It is not, however, a reliable proxy for military capability, leadership or manhood. Military policy should be careful not to treat it as one.<\/p>\n

A low testosterone result in a 50-year-old may simply reflect normal ageing, not a degraded soldier.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The United States Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has ordered all active duty and reserve personnel aged 30…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":776972,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[23,3,21,19,22,20,25,24],"class_list":["post-776971","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-united-states","tag-america","tag-news","tag-united-states","tag-united-states-of-america","tag-unitedstates","tag-unitedstatesofamerica","tag-us","tag-usa"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/776971","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=776971"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/776971\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/776972"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=776971"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=776971"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=776971"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}