r/politics Jul 15 '26

No Paywall Hegseth announces annual testosterone screenings for service members

https://thehill.com/policy/defense/5969935-hegseth-testosterone-testing-dod/
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u/theory_of_me Jul 15 '26

I'm on TRT after having extensive testing done including a pituitary MRI. When you're on TRT, your body entirely stops producing testosterone. It can take months even with medication to jump start production again. If you miss a dose, the exhaustion is no joke. I forgot to pack it on a 2 week trip and missed 2 doses. I've never been more tired in my life. How's that going to work when service members are on the battlefield and don't have access to testosterone and sterile supplies?

You can forget about having kids too!

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u/devmc25 Jul 15 '26

They'd likely use a testosterone with an undecanoate ester which has a half life of 34 days. Being on TRT doesn't 100% make you sterile but it can for some (like me) but can be combated with a few other injections.

I'm all for people getting the hormone treatments they need. How Republicans can be fine with this but not be fine with a trans person getting the treatments they need just shows how much hatred they have. 🙄