Low testosterone is a real problem, but don’t forget this major cause

 https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2026/08/31/testosterone-treatment-heres-better-idea-hegseth/

In July, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced a mandatory program to test all service members 30 and older for low testosterone and to offer voluntary testosterone replacement therapy to those who test low. The mandate appears to include women. Hegseth has put forth some out-there beliefs, such as when he promoted a church leader who has advocated the abolition of women’s right to vote. Is this another one of those weird ideas?

Not necessarily. Men rely on testosterone for drive and motivation, for the will to win. When testosterone levels fall, men’s motivation falls — though the same is not true for women.

And testosterone levels in men are in fact dropping. Between 1999 and 2016, the average testosterone level among young men fell by 25 percent. In 1999, only 4 percent of men had low testosterone. In 2016, more than 20 percent of men did — a fivefold increase in less than 20 years. These findings were confirmed in a more recent review, which found no taper in that trend line: Not only are testosterone levels continuing to drop among men, but the pace of the decline appears to be accelerating.