Many Men Are Prescribed Testosterone Without Proper Testing

June 16, 2026
Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter

Men prescribed testosterone might not be getting important and required testing beforehand, a new study says.

A little over 1 in 10 men (12%) received testing that would accurately diagnose them with low testosterone levels prior to being prescribed the hormone, researchers reported Saturday at the Endocrine Society’s annual meeting in Chicago.

“Our study findings highlight opportunities to improve patient care and reduce inappropriate testosterone prescribing,” senior researcher Dr. Maria Papaleontiou said in a news release. She’s an associate professor of internal medicine at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.

For the study, researchers reviewed the charts of a random sample of 200 men treated at the University of Michigan Medicine who had a diagnosis of hypogonadism and were prescribed testosterone between 2020 and 2025.

Hypogonadism is a condition in which the body doesn’t produce enough testosterone or adequate levels of sperm.

Results showed that only 12% of men had:

Two low morning testosterone level checks
Undergone tests of lutenizing hormone or follicle-stimulating hormone, both of which influence testosterone levels
No medical conditions or health issues that would rule out testosterone therapy

More than half of the men (55%) had sleep apnea, a condition that can be made worse by testosterone therapy, researchers found.

Likewise, about 4% had prostate cancer, which is fueled by testosterone, and 1.5% had elevated prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels, which could indicate prostate cancer.

Most testosterone prescriptions were written by primary care physicians (45%). Urologists wrote about 36% and endocrinologists 18%.

The most common testosterone prescription was a cream or gel (69%).

“Long-term, these findings can lead to quality-improvement efforts and clinical decision support tools that promote consistent, guideline-concordant testosterone prescribing,” Papaleontiou said.

Research presented at meetings should be considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal.

More information

The Mayo Clinic has more on the risks of testosterone therapy.

SOURCE: The Endocrine Society, news release, June 13, 2026