Pentagon pulls testosterone screening guidance for US troops a day after issuing it

The Pentagon is temporarily rescinding recently published clinical guidance for a new mandatory testosterone deficiency screening policy for service members aged 30 and older, a US official told news agency Reuters on Thursday.

The Pentagon posted the “Clinical Guidance for Health and Human Performance Optimisation” on its website on Wednesday. By Thursday, it had removed the memo and an accompanying statement from spokesperson Sean Parnell.

“The draft (document) published on September 2, 2026, has been temporarily rescinded to allow for updates,” the official said, adding that interim guidance remains in effect.

The detailed clinical guidelines laid out separate testosterone deficiency screening paths for men and women during their annual health assessments.

The guidance was set to take effect immediately. The Pentagon said it aimed to improve military readiness by identifying and managing hormonal and energy-availability issues.

“PAGE NOT FOUND”

A “Page Not Found” banner appeared on the websites of both the Pentagon and the Defence Health Agency when users clicked the links for the memo and statement.

Wednesday’s guidance said men aged 30 and older would undergo screening through a questionnaire that could trigger a blood test for testosterone levels and, if needed, testosterone hormone therapy.

Women would also undergo screening through a questionnaire and could then receive treatment for conditions related to hormonal imbalance that can manifest as Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport, or REDs. The guidance advised testosterone hormone therapy for women only for Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder, which is characterised by a distressing level of low sexual interest.

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, who has promoted the use of testosterone, announced the screening mandate in July. The announcement raised questions among experts about whether the policy had a scientific basis. The US Food and Drug Administration plans to hold a meeting of experts in mid-September to discuss the medical use of testosterone.

DOCTORS RAISE CONCERNS

Doctors have raised concerns that broad testosterone testing could lead to unnecessary or potentially harmful treatment. They said little evidence shows that universal screening for low testosterone among military personnel would improve US combat readiness.

Neither the American Urological Association nor the Endocrine Society recommends routine screening for low testosterone.

Dr. Helen Bernie, an expert in male sexual and reproductive medicine at Indiana University, said she supports the screening program because it could identify men with significant underlying health issues.

Bernie said she was pleased that the Pentagon’s guidance, which it issued on Wednesday and later took down, included safeguards such as repeat testing, evaluation for reversible causes and treatment of those causes, as well as fertility counselling.

Dr. Jason Goldman, an internal medicine physician and immediate past president of the American College of Physicians, said testosterone replacement is useful when doctors appropriately test people for conditions in which the body fails to produce enough of the hormone.

However, Goldman said testosterone replacement carries a risk of overtreatment and harm. He said it can worsen conditions such as sleep apnea, raise red blood cell counts, increase the risk of heart problems, increase the risk of infertility and exacerbate undiagnosed prostate cancer.

He said there is no evidence that widespread screening of military members will produce a positive result.

“Taking testosterone is not going to make you more manly, more strong, or a more robust individual. That’s just not how it works,” Goldman said. “It’s just bad policy all around.”

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