Rojie asks “The U.S. military will be testing service members’ testosterone levels for deficiency for those who are 30 and older. Testosterone replacement therapy will be voluntary, according to Pete Hegseth. What are your thoughts?”
A quick check unearths the symptoms of low and high levels of testosterone – the extreme end of the spectrum of low level causes low energy, muscle loss and less sex drive. The high end of the spectrum can show symptoms of aggressive behaviors, acne and low sperm count. Obviously, a man with low energy and suffering from muscle loss is not at his optimum performance level for a demanding job like active duty in the armed forces.
I believe in the logic behind the reasoning. I have met male and female people who have medical illness/ disability/ psychological problem/ dementia and their behaviors are testimony of their physiological disorders. Abnormal levels of hormones can cause symptoms and behaviors which are atypical of gender, culture, civilized behaviors, societal norms, “types” (stereotypes).
It is very difficult to explain briefly. It does not mean that a high level of male hormones is necessary for a man to show masculine actions, but it is essential for a minimum level of male hormones to be present in the body, for many functions to be run smoothly. Rojie has written her informative post here.
It is not only the testosterone level which is important. I think the thyroid gland is more important. All humans have a thyroid gland, which makes the thyroid hormone. When the levels of thyroid hormone are low, because of a under-performing thyroid or immune system that eats/ destroys the thyroid hormone, the person has a medical condition called hypothyrodism. There are related behaviors and disorders as a consequence of this disorder. Some symptoms are low level cognitive functioning, memory loss and primitive, animal-like actions. The human being displays signs of early dementia.
Related:
https://artmater.com/men-who-left-their-families-because-of-dementia/
- https://artmater.com/she-couldnt-dig-out-a-shattered-man-from-his-hole-so-left-him-alone-to-figure-it-out/
- https://artmater.com/he-stole-his-familys-right-to-the-truth/
- https://artmater.com/case-study-of-star-fading/
Related:
Rojie’s prompt series challenge August 2026. I’ll try to collect all of this month’s posts here.
Aug 1 2026 – https://artmater.com/rojies-prompt-series-challenge-august-1-2026/
Aug 2 2026 – https://artmater.com/rojies-prompt-series-challenge-aug-2-2026/
Aug 24 – https://artmater.com/rojie-asks-to-write-a-scary-story-for-aug-24-2026/