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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsHegseth calls for testosterone testing of US troops
Really.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Wednesday announced a new effort to annually screen service members testosterone levels and offer testosterone replacement therapy (TRT), framing it as a way to keep troops on the leading edge of lethality.
The screening, added as part of war fighters periodic health assessment, will affect troops age 30 and older, though those under 30 can voluntarily choose to get the test,
https://thehill.com/policy/defense/5969935-hegseth-testosterone-testing-dod/
Wow as if we haven't learned our lessons from ICE agents pumping 'roids'
Coventina
(30,174 posts)Lochloosa
(16,868 posts)Ritabert
(2,945 posts)yellow dahlia
(7,089 posts)What next? And I am sick of asking that question.
vanlassie
(6,316 posts)Last edited Wed Jul 15, 2026, 06:53 PM - Edit history (1)
In order to be such an asshole?
buzzycrumbhunger
(2,558 posts)Then again, I suspect he was an arsehole even as a child. *eyeroll*
kerry-is-my-prez
(10,344 posts)popsdenver
(2,942 posts)estrogen, then worry about other shit........
Everyone of Trump's CABAL suffers from TWPC.......Teenie Weenie Penie Complex......or as they used to call it:
NAPOLEAN COMPLEX or LITTLE MAN COMPLEX.......
LearnedHand
(5,715 posts)Coventina
(30,174 posts)CrispyQ
(41,240 posts)This nightmare never ends.
orangecrush
(32,115 posts)Seinan Sensei
(1,762 posts)Coventina
(30,174 posts)So presumably ALL the women will be getting T after 30?
I thought Whiskey Pete was AGAINST such things?
mountain grammy
(29,448 posts)they don't expect women to be serving after 30...these guys are real zealots,
Coventina
(30,174 posts)How long before women are barred from serving entirely?
haele
(15,768 posts)'Roid heads only feel comfortable around other 'Roid heads or with nasty winmin haters. Thoughtful people scare them, they feel cooperation, strategy, diplomacy, long term assessments, or risk considerations are for sissies and cowards, not "Real Men".
Anyway, I thought Gender affirming care was "Woke".
31j20b3
(310 posts)Will they be able to get testosterone injections if they volunteer for screening and are found to be deficient compared to "manly men"?
Just asking.
I think Hegseth is an idiot.
Gen. Grant, Sherman, Sheridan never had such tests.
I'm not aware of Sgt York or Audie Murphy having been given such.
I am aware that the Nazi's during WWII and the US airforce later, made bennies available to their troops to make sure they were pumped up as WAR FIGHTERS
What could go wrong??? This could be a worse medical cost burden on the Pentagon and the Dept of Veterans' Affairs than AGENT ORANGE
YOu served and you have testicular cancer? Or Prostrate Cancer? Well veteran, you;ve got a presumed exposure to dosing of testosterone. which elevated your risks of many cancers...
It's just inhumane for the military to think it can produce super-soldiers through better medicine from AbbVie Inc.
sop
(20,202 posts)Nope, I was wrong, that would make too much sense, silly me. Instead, Hegseth wants a bunch of juiced-up roid raging warriors.
31j20b3
(310 posts)Hegseth is an immoral leader willing to subject the men and women in his commands to uncalled for exposures
MerryBlooms
(12,702 posts)How about paying a decent wage to our service people, first!?! Not fighting our Veterans at every stage for their damages caused by US government!?! How about not starting more illegal wars?
So many other issues this pos should be concerned with.
mr715
(5,125 posts)31j20b3
(310 posts)pfitz59
(13,097 posts)Hegseth is insane
31j20b3
(310 posts)Is pumping guys up on methamphetamemes on the to-do list?
LymphocyteLover
(10,542 posts)BlueWaveNeverEnd
(15,693 posts)some_of_us_are_sane
(3,983 posts)
Boomerproud
(9,445 posts)No worry about any emotional problems about what war does to people. Wouldn't have to thank them for their service either.
jls4561
(3,366 posts)Then hed get cyber penis envy because his didnt measure up.
some_of_us_are_sane
(3,983 posts)WestMichRad
(3,583 posts)Baitball Blogger
(53,026 posts)Maybe he should ask the FBI to start an investigation to find out who stole his manhood?
mr715
(5,125 posts)WhiskeyGrinder
(27,509 posts)31j20b3
(310 posts)one in four men get prostrate cancer, a testosterone dependent cancer.
Imaging the costs on the military and V.A. to provide healthcare for testosterone dependent cancers if a vet has had exposure to testosterone shots during their service.
Well never get decent grade schools across America if we have to deal with such costs.
odins folly
(689 posts)Point to fertility issues (I thought they wanted more babies) elevated red blood cells that increase risks of blood clots, sleep apnea and prostate growth.
Along with severe acne, excessive body hair, increased irritability, high blood pressure, fluid retention, low sperm count (see above).
So we soon have an army of sweaty, pock faced, overly hairy incels who hate everyone and are puffy with high blood pressure
.
At least the wont be able to breed effectively
.
Having spent 20 in the military, I weep for those who join up these days.
Fuck sake.
31j20b3
(310 posts)I wasn't sure that was possible.
I already wrote to my dem Senator Tammy Baldwin on this.
I could write to Pocan a WI house member, but I'm not in his district.
Everything to produce cutting edge War Fighters is clearly a sick mentality that will lead the military into ruination.
Walleye
(46,020 posts)The Madcap
(2,271 posts)Max roid rage.
What's next? Minimum penis length criterion?
31j20b3
(310 posts)Fucking MAGA journalist in charge is gonna kill people who aren;t even combat MOS>
Vietnam had roughly 53 thousand combat deaths. When the vets came home, another 300,000 yes, 300,000 died from Agent Orange related illnesses.
Why do politicians care so little for the people who go out and do the job, when they masturbate and doodle on scrap paper at their pentagon desk?
The Madcap
(2,271 posts)he would return as a broken, quivering, husk. Even the bravest return scarred. The overconfident return destroyed...if they return at all.
31j20b3
(310 posts)and they don't fight as soldiers to end the fighting. They fight because they love it, and so they are always looking for another fight.
But the bastards like Hegseth aren't really warriors. They're embarrased soldiers hiding behind a furrowed brow and snarling lip, always afraid someone will see through their bravado to the real coward underneath.
Should also know that real men dont kiss the ass of anyone. And yet there he is with his face glued to aYUUUGE orange butt.
Lovie777
(24,765 posts)males - mostest in masculinity?
Will they be the ones on the front lines?
Walleye
(46,020 posts)31j20b3
(310 posts)from the mind of a guy who dreams of Conan-like barbarians as warriors in the US military.
Hegseth is not only stupid, he's got an evil streak as wide as the landing deck on the USS Kennedy
durablend
(9,540 posts)Dick sizes and erections or is that a bridge too far?
ga_girl
(211 posts)Hormonally charged men amidst women. What could go wrong?
31j20b3
(310 posts)This is the kind of shit thinking that graduates from Harvard with a Masters in Public Policy.
This AIN"T PUBLIC anything DON'T BLAME ALL AMERICANS it'svery personal idiocyncratic psychotic evilness.
Wounded Bear
(64,980 posts)Enquiring minds want to know.
struggle4progress
(127,500 posts)He's a fuckin drunk halfwit with a chip on his shoulder about women and people whose skin is a different shade than his
Lucky for him he's a REMF cuz otherwise his view of war would leave him a burnt shambles
fargone
(695 posts)The person who "transcribed" the lyrics had a variety of words and non words but never got it right. The most interesting attempt was "night scissors" near the end.
struggle4progress
(127,500 posts)spanone
(142,345 posts)31j20b3
(310 posts)probably rather worse
Karasu
(2,506 posts)Last edited Wed Jul 15, 2026, 04:37 PM - Edit history (1)
they have with it is cartoonish and absurd.
sop
(20,202 posts)"Critics on social media responded to Hegseths new testosterone injection plan with mockery."
"Journalist Amanda Katz joked that Hegseths plan was 'literally gender-affirming care' of the kind that Hegseth halted for transgender service members last year."
"Rep. Summer Lee (D-Pa.) similarly asked Hegseth if the new program means that 'now yall support gender-affirming care?' "
"Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) said that the Hegseth initiative 'is gender affirming care and it completely debunks all of Republicans attacks on trans people.' "
https://www.commondreams.org/news/hegseth-testosterone-injection-plan
MineralMan
(152,205 posts)on a daily basis. This is outrageous in the extreme.
mercuryblues
(16,603 posts)and she comes home a man. Sounds to me that is what magaTs are saying about kids going to school.
bucolic_frolic
(56,546 posts)injections for everyone.
RedWhiteBlueIsRacist
(2,508 posts)tanyev
(50,055 posts)😳
31j20b3
(310 posts)the evidence isnt good for ultraviolet on the testicles ncreasing testosterone
But then if we're dealing with guys who never went to college they probably are more interested in street stories than research results
tanyev
(50,055 posts)Hegseth seems like the kind of guy who would be a big fan of it.
surfered
(15,480 posts)NickB79
(20,426 posts)From the Mayo Clinic:
So that's an important distinction.
surfered
(15,480 posts)But many prostate cancers are sensitive to testosterone, meaning that testosterone can help cancer cells grow and multiply.
yardwork
(70,358 posts)For once I'm speechless.
sinkingfeeling
(58,404 posts)chowder66
(12,776 posts)Doubt it.
31j20b3
(310 posts)Hegseth has his belief and he's going to follow it regardless of medical or scientific evidence
Ocelot II
(132,085 posts)Will women in the military services be relegated to rear-action clerical roles where they can be sexually harassed without recourse by Kegbreath's roided-up war fighters?
NCDem47
(3,588 posts)....or a long night at a men's bathhouse to cure his ills.
Soooooo preoccupied by hyper-masculinity.
MineralMan
(152,205 posts)He is.
allegorical oracle
(6,778 posts)my former female co-workers were married to ultra-macho Army officers. I had met the men. Both women separately confided to me that they were routinely beaten by their husbands. One said she was hospitalized twice after beatings.
If Pete's machismo military is regularly juiced up with high levels of testosterone, what happens once they're home and not getting that extra "boost"?
Zelda_Orchid
(129 posts)They're the ones overcompensating.
rationalcalgarian
(302 posts)It sounds like some cheap-ass video game you can download on your phone. Warfighters!
Jesus, what a asshole
31j20b3
(310 posts)He thinks soldiers should behave like Conan the Barbarian
MineralMan
(152,205 posts)Support.
moonshinegnomie
(4,201 posts)flashman13
(2,691 posts)MineralMan
(152,205 posts)"I wanna kill kill kill kill kill!"
Out the door he went.
EnergizedLib
(3,306 posts)You know, the same Barry Goldwater who said one doesnt need to be straight to serve in the military, just shoot straight.
Now, weve got whatever lunacy this is.
SpankMe
(3,840 posts)But forced T-testing is OK? He doesn't say if there are minimum T requirements. But that's coming, I'm sure.
Also, he just says "service members". Does this mean women, too?
You know, onece a man starts HRT or TRT, it's pretty much for life. For those who chose TRT, will the VA continue lifetime treatment after separation? What about dishonorable discharge? Being on TRT for years and then stopping it suddenly can hurt someone pretty bad. I hope this terrorist knows that.
SWBTATTReg
(26,598 posts)a million tats all over. If anything, he's going to drop dead from too much aggression, too much T in his body, or hyper-something.
I went through the needing more T phase via my doctor, and its impact on me was so so, nothing major like apparently he's expecting (everyone taking more T would develop into 'macho macho man' stereo types).
blue_jay
(341 posts)So, I'm sure this isn't the whole story of what could go wrong and please take this summary for what it is. A possibly /most likely imperfect answer from a chat GPT nano query. Here is a snip of a conversation: My apologies in advance for the length of this response. .
....................................................................................................................................................................................................................
Drawbacks of testosterone testing (especially for diagnosing deficiency)
- Its variable day-to-day. Testosterone levels change with time of day, acute illness, sleep, and other factorsso a single low value can be misleading. Thats why diagnosis requires repeat early-morning testing rather than one result.
- Assay/lab differences. Different lab methods and reference ranges can produce different numbers, and results for free vs total testosterone may not be interchangeable across people.
- Low testosterone isnt always the right explanation. Symptoms like low energy, low libido, erectile issues, or depressed mood can have many causes, so numbers must be interpreted alongside symptoms/signs and medical history.
- Normal doesnt always rule things out. Some people with symptoms may have testosterone values that dont clearly meet the guideline threshold, leading to uncertainty about whether symptoms will respond to therapy.
Drawbacks of using testosterone (testosterone therapy / TRT)
- Fertility can be harmed. Exogenous testosterone can suppress the bodys natural signals to the testes, lowering sperm production. This is a major issue for men trying to conceiveTRT is generally avoided for that goal.
- Erythrocytosis (high hematocrit) / clot risk concern. TRT can raise red blood cell mass, increasing hematocrit and potentially raising thrombotic risk in some patients; it also requires blood monitoring and sometimes dose adjustment or holding treatment.
- Prostate/urinary effects and PSA changes. TRT can increase PSA (which is expected as testosterone stimulates prostate tissue). It may also worsen lower urinary tract symptoms in some men with benign prostate enlargement, and it requires prostate monitoringespecially in men >40.
- Breathing-related issues. It can worsen obstructive sleep apnea in susceptible people.
- Fluid retention, acne, gynecomastia. Common side effects can include acne/skin oiliness, fluid retention (sometimes affecting blood pressure), breast tissue enlargement in some, and other androgen-related effects.
- Cardiovascular uncertainty. Evidence is mixed; some studies show no clear increase in major adverse cardiac events when used appropriately, while others suggest possible risk signals. This means careful patient selection and risk-factor management matter.
- You may not feel better. Even when testosterone levels improve into the target range, symptoms may not improve; guidelines recommend re-assessing after a few months and considering stopping if benefit isnt clear.
- Long-term commitment and monitoring. TRT typically requires ongoing dosing and repeat labs (testosterone level, hematocrit, often PSA), which is an ongoing burden rather than a one-time fix.
....................................................................................................................................................................................................................
In an effort to be at least partially non-biased here is a incredibly lazy query on my part about the potential positives in an generic age group that I picked out of thin air for active duty men in the military.
Are there any positives for taking testosterone in men from ages 18-45?
Yeswhen a man truly has testosterone deficiency (low levels confirmed with appropriate testing) and has relevant symptoms, the AUA guideline notes that testosterone therapy can produce improvements. The positives that are best supported are:
- Erectile function: improvements in IIEF erectile function scores in clinical trials.
-Low sex drive: improvement in sexual desire/sex drive.
-Anemia: improvements in hemoglobin and related anemia measures.
-Bone mineral density (BMD): increases in BMD.
-Lean body mass: increases in lean mass.
-Depressive symptoms / mood: some men show improvements in depressive symptoms.
The AUA (american urological society, auanet.org) frames these improvements as may result in improvements, meaning theyre not guaranteedbut theyre the main potential benefits supported by trials in men with confirmed testosterone deficiency.
....................................................................................................................................................................................................................
Can testosterone therapy make you more irritable or shrink your private parts?
Yes, both can happen.
Irritability / mood changes: Testosterone (or higher-dose TRT) can change mood in some peoplee.g., increased irritability, anger, restlessness, or agitationespecially if levels swing high or if dosing is too aggressive. Not everyone gets it, but its a known possible side effect.
Genital/testicular shrinkage: TRT can cause testicular shrinkage (testicular atrophy). This is because external testosterone suppresses LH/FSH, which reduces stimulation of the testes and can lower sperm production. People often notice smaller testes while on therapy.
....................................................................................................................................................................................................................
Has any country used testosterone to make super soldiers?
Theres no solid, public evidence that any country has run a verified program where testosterone specifically was used to create super soldiers in the sense of radically transforming people for combat (as portrayed in movies).
What is well documented is that militaries have, at various times, used performance-enhancing drugs broadly (e.g., stimulants for fatigue/wakefulness), and theres ongoing ethical concern and reporting about the idea of biologically enhanced soldiers. A U.S. intelligence official has also publicly alleged that China conducted human testing for biologically enhanced capabilities (without substantiating details publicly, and not specifically saying testosterone).
....................................................................................................................................................................................................................
In conclusion and IMHO, it is totally possible some people could benefit from careful use of testosterone if they are symptomatic and deficient so no hate to anyone who actually needs it. Serious disdain however for those who take it and become raging, maniac a-holes to the rest of society. Oh yeah, almost forgot, thank you for your attention to this matter.
PufPuf23
(10,077 posts)the good of humanity.
flvegan
(66,779 posts)Gynecomastia is a common side effect of introducing a bunch of test into subjects without adequate testing, moderation, etc.
President McTacoTits will feel more manly man if his troops share his cup size. Manziers/Manssiers* for all the men!
*a/k/a The Bro if you're in Camp Cosmo Kramer