The Pentagon has rescinded a new testosterone screening policy without explanation, reversing guidance announced in July by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. The policy had aimed to test and potentially treat service members for low testosterone, which Hegseth claimed was for "restoring and optimizing" capabilities and ensuring "the biological foundation required to sustain the fight."

Health experts had criticized the screening as potentially harmful. Neither the Endocrine Society nor the American Urological Association supports routine screening for low testosterone. Dr. Jason Goldman, an internal medicine physician and immediate past president of the American College of Physicians, told Reuters: "Taking testosterone is not going to make you more manly, more strong, or a more robust individual. That’s just not how it works. It’s just bad policy all around."

Ars Technica previously published an explainer on testosterone screening, featuring Bradley Anawalt, chief of medicine at the University of Washington Medical Center. Anawalt warned: "We’re turning the clock back on rational health care. I’m worried about the ethics. I’m worried about the health consequences." Risks of conventional testosterone therapy include decreased fertility, high red blood cell counts, acne, increased prostate size, and sleep apnea. Higher doses are linked to cardiovascular disease and prostate cancer.