When I first heard the announcement on Wednesday that the Department of Defense will begin a mandatory testosterone screening program for service members, my mind naturally leapt to a series of questions derived from my career studying men’s health and population-level screening in men’s health. In particular, I fear that the widespread rollout of testosterone screening may lead to some surprising and unintended consequences that must be carefully weighed if we want to prioritize the health of U.S. servicemembers.
As a practicing urologist and health outcomes researcher, I have seen firsthand how testosterone supplementation has received growing interest in recent years. I have also studied the impacts and implementation other types of screening tests, including among military servicemembers. As with any type of population-level medical screening, a careful examination of risks and benefits is vital.
