Pentagon testosterone screening policy guidance is pulled for revision
The Pentagon withdrew a newly posted clinical document, but interim testosterone screening guidance for troops remains in force.
By Maya Lindqvist · Senior Technology Correspondent
3 min read
The Pentagon has temporarily withdrawn clinical guidance for its testosterone screening policy after the document appeared online on Sept. 2. The move does not end the underlying screening initiative: interim guidance remains in effect while the Defense Department prepares final instructions, according to officials cited by Reuters and ABC News.
The document, called “Clinical Guidance for Health and Human Performance Optimization,” and a related statement from Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell were removed by the following day. A U.S. official said the material was pulled to allow updates and that final clinical guidance would be issued shortly, though no timetable was given.
Does the Pentagon’s temporary rescission end testosterone screening for troops?
No. The rescission applies to the newly posted clinical document, not the broader direction announced by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in July. That initiative calls for testosterone-deficiency screening to be included in annual health assessments for male active-duty and reserve service members aged 30 and older, ABC News reported.
Hegseth said at the time that testosterone replacement therapy would be up to the individual service member when a clinician recommended it, ABC News reported. The Pentagon has said the program is intended to identify and manage hormone and energy-availability concerns in support of military readiness, Reuters reported.
Why was the clinical guidance removed?
The initial Pentagon account was limited: the document needed updates. Tim Parlatore, a senior adviser to Hegseth, later said on CNN that the item posted online was a draft that had not been approved for release and had been published inadvertently, according to ABC News.
Parlatore said more input was needed so the eventual document reflects current medical science and guidance. It remains unclear when the Defense Health Agency will release replacement clinical guidance.
What did the withdrawn document cover?
Reuters reported that men 30 and older would first complete a questionnaire. Their answers could lead to a testosterone blood test and, where indicated, hormone therapy. The draft also set questionnaire-based pathways for women concerning hormonal and energy-availability conditions; treatment involving testosterone for women was advised only for hypoactive sexual desire disorder.
The policy has prompted disagreement among medical experts. Reuters reported that the Endocrine Society and the American Urological Association do not recommend routine screening for low testosterone. Dr. Jason Goldman, the immediate past president of the American College of Physicians, told Reuters that testosterone treatment can help people properly diagnosed with insufficient hormone production, but warned that broad testing could drive overtreatment and associated harms.
Dr. Helen Bernie of Indiana University supported the program, Reuters reported, saying it could identify significant health problems. She also welcomed safeguards in the removed guidance, including repeat testing, assessment of reversible causes and fertility counseling.
This story draws on original reporting from Ars Technica.