Pentagon temporarily withdraws clinical guidelines for screening military personnel for testosterone deficiency

(Central News Agency, Washington, 3rd Comprehensive Foreign News Report) U.S. officials told Reuters today that the Pentagon is temporarily withdrawing its recently issued clinical guidelines. The guidelines involve a new mandatory policy requiring service members over the age of 30 to be screened for testosterone deficiency.

The Pentagon released a document called "Clinical Guidance for Health and Human Performance Optimization" on its official website yesterday. However, as of today, the memo and the statement from Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell have been removed from the website.

"The draft (document) released on September 2, 2026 has been temporarily withdrawn for updating," the official said, adding that the current interim guidelines remain in effect.

The detailed clinical guidelines originally developed separate screening procedures for men and women for testosterone deficiency and were planned to be included in military personnel's annual physical exams.

The standard was scheduled to take effect immediately. The Pentagon said the policy aims to improve the military's combat readiness by identifying and addressing issues such as hormonal and energy supply deficiencies.

When clicking on the URLs originally linked to the memo and related statements on the Pentagon and Defense Health Agency websites, the pages displayed "Page Not Found."

Pentagon guidelines released yesterday state that men over 30 will first be screened with a questionnaire. If the results of the questionnaire trigger further testing, the service member will undergo a blood test to measure testosterone levels and receive testosterone hormone treatment if necessary.

Women are also screened with questionnaires and may receive further treatment for conditions related to hormonal imbalances.

As for the use of testosterone in women, the guidelines state that it only applies to specific diagnoses for which there is evidence of efficacy, such as hypoactive sexual desire disorder in women. The disorder is characterized by a decrease in sexual desire to a distressing level.

U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, who has been promoting the use of testosterone, announced the mandatory screening policy in July, prompting experts to question whether the policy has sufficient scientific basis.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is expected to hold an expert meeting in mid-September to discuss the medical use of testosterone.