Medical experts are raising concerns about Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's newly announced policy requiring annual testosterone testing for all U.S. service members over the age of 30, a key component of what he has dubbed the "High-T Department of War" initiative.

Hegseth announced the policy last week. It has since drawn legal scrutiny, with a federal judge ordering the Trump administration to explain how the directive comports with existing prohibitions on hormone-related treatment for transgender service members, according to AP News.

In an interview published Friday by The Intercept, two medical experts cautioned that the screening program could have unintended health consequences for male troops, including reduced fertility and unnecessary medical interventions.

Dr. Adrian Dobs of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine told The Intercept that testosterone replacement therapy can create dependency and lower sperm production in men who use it.

"Men who take testosterone will have a reduction in their sperm counts," Dr. Dobs said.

Dr. Alvin Matsumoto warned that mandatory testosterone screening tends to yield unreliable measurements, as hormone levels naturally fluctuate depending on the time of day and recent meals. This variability, he noted, could result in otherwise healthy service members being referred for hormone therapy they do not actually need.

Testosterone levels in men are known to follow a diurnal rhythm, typically peaking in the early morning and declining throughout the day. Standard clinical guidelines generally recommend that testosterone be measured in the morning on an empty stomach to obtain the most accurate reading. A single test taken without controlling for these variables may not provide a clinically reliable picture of an individual's baseline hormone status.

Those guidelines also generally treat testosterone deficiency as a clinical diagnosis that depends on both symptoms and consistently low laboratory results, rather than a one-time screening value alone. That distinction is central to the experts' concern: a broad annual testing mandate could identify transient or borderline readings that require careful follow-up before any treatment decision.

The policy's intersection with the military's existing restrictions on hormone treatment for transgender personnel has further complicated its legal standing. Hegseth announced the initiative via social media, framing it as part of a broader effort to emphasize physical readiness and what he has described as "warrior" standards within the armed forces.