The Pentagon published new clinical guidance on hormone health that included a treatment pathway for female service members dealing with certain hormonal and energy-related conditions, with hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD) among the circumstances in which testosterone could be considered. The guidance was published on 2 September 2026, then removed from the Pentagon's website the following day while officials updated the document.
The development is part of a broader military effort to identify hormone deficiencies and other health issues that officials say can affect the health, performance and readiness of service members. But an important distinction has emerged amid online discussion: the guidance did not establish universal screening of female troops to determine whether they wanted sex.
The Pentagon Put Hormone Screening Into Its Readiness Effort
The current hormone-screening initiative was announced by Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth on 15 July 2026, as part of a wider effort to identify and address testosterone deficiencies among service members. Under the policy, active-duty and reserve personnel aged 30 and older were to undergo screening for testosterone deficiency during periodic health assessments. Younger service members could request testing or be assessed when clinically indicated.
On 2 September, the Defence Health Agency issued more detailed clinical guidance covering how hormone-related conditions should be evaluated and treated. The guidance took different approaches to men and women. For men, it outlined screening and clinical evaluation for testosterone deficiency, including blood testing and treatment where medically appropriate.
For women, the approach was broader, addressing symptoms and conditions associated with hormonal and energy-related problems. The pathway included conditions such as relative energy deficiency in sport, or RED-S, as well as circumstances involving low sexual desire. That does not mean female service members were automatically subjected to a sexual-desire test.
HSDD Was One Part Of The Female Treatment Pathway
One of the more eye-catching elements of the guidance was its reference to hypoactive sexual desire disorder, or HSDD. HSDD is a recognised clinical condition involving low or absent sexual interest that is associated with clinically significant distress. It is therefore different from simply choosing not to have sex, declining a sexual advance or having a period of reduced interest.
Reuters reported that the Pentagon's guidance identified circumstances, including postmenopausal women with extremely low sexual desire, in which testosterone treatment could be considered. That is an important distinction.
The guidance did not say that every female service member would be tested to determine whether she wanted sex. Nor does the inclusion of HSDD mean that a woman expressing low sexual interest would automatically receive a diagnosis or testosterone treatment. Instead, HSDD appeared as one specific medical circumstance within a broader female treatment pathway.
The Guidance Disappeared The Following Day
The clinical document did not remain online for long. After being published on September 2, the guidance was removed from the Pentagon's website on September 3. Reuters reported that links to the document returned a 'Page Not Found' message. A US official told Reuters that the document had been temporarily rescinded to allow officials to update it. Interim testosterone-screening guidance remained in effect.
The timing matters because the withdrawal does not, by itself, establish that the wider hormone-screening programme had been abandoned. The newly issued clinical guidance was initially described as effective immediately, but that status was followed by the temporary rescission as officials worked on updates. In other words, the disappearance of the document was real, but it should not be presented as evidence that the entire Pentagon hormone initiative had been cancelled.
Doctors Question Whether Screening Will Improve Readiness
The Pentagon's approach has also prompted questions from doctors about whether broad testosterone screening can deliver the intended improvements in health and military readiness. Some medical experts have raised concerns about unnecessary testing or treatment and the potential risks of testosterone therapy. Other specialists have argued that screening could identify underlying health problems that might otherwise go unnoticed.
Reuters reported that Dr Helen Bernie supported screening as a way of identifying potentially important health issues, while also pointing to safeguards such as repeat testing, consideration of reversible causes and fertility counselling.
Testosterone treatment can also carry potential risks, including increased red blood cell counts and effects on fertility The disagreement is therefore not simply about whether testosterone can be medically useful. It is about how widely service members should be screened, which cases warrant treatment and whether the potential benefits justify the risks and resources involved.
Testosterone Remains A Medical Flashpoint
The debate comes as US regulators are also examining the evidence surrounding testosterone use in women. The Food and Drug Administration has scheduled a public meeting for 17 September 2026, specifically examining testosterone use in menopausal women. The agency says the meeting will consider evidence gaps involving sexual function, cognition, mood and musculoskeletal health, as well as questions surrounding testosterone measurement, interpretation and long-term safety.
That broader regulatory discussion provides useful context for the Pentagon's decision to include testosterone treatment within a female clinical pathway. But the central facts remain straightforward. The Defence Health Agency published clinical guidance on September 2. The guidance included HSDD as one specific circumstance in which testosterone could be considered. It was then temporarily rescinded the following day while officials updated the document.
What the available evidence does not establish is that female service members were being universally screened simply to determine whether they wanted sex. The document was real. The withdrawal was real. HSDD was included. But turning that provision into a claim that female troops were routinely tested for their sexual willingness goes beyond what the published evidence supports.
