MONDAY, June 15, 2026 (HealthDay News) -- Few men who are prescribed testosterone therapy receive guideline-concordant diagnostic testing, according to a study presented at ENDO 2026, the annual meeting of the Endocrine Society, held from June 13 to 16 in Chicago.
Maria Papaleontiou, M.D., from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, and colleagues examined testosterone prescribing practices and assessed patient characteristics associated with receipt of testosterone among 200 adult male patients who had a diagnosis of hypogonadism and received an initial testosterone prescription during January 2020 to January 2025. Patients with HIV and transgender individuals were excluded.
The researchers found that assessment for hypogonadism was frequently initiated due to fatigue, erectile dysfunction, decreased libido, and patient request (63, 62, 54, and 25 percent, respectively). Obesity, hypertension, depression, diabetes, and arthritis were prevalent comorbidities (63, 52, 40, 28, and 28 percent, respectively). Of the men who received testosterone, only 12 percent had two low morning testosterone levels, luteinizing hormone and/or follicle-stimulating hormone measured, and no contraindications to testosterone therapy. In the year prior to index testosterone prescription, 62 and 77 percent of patients had a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) and complete blood count measured, respectively. Fifty-five percent of patients had documented obstructive sleep apnea, and 4 and 1.5 percent had prostate cancer and a PSA >4 ng/mL prior to the index prescription, respectively.
"Our study findings highlight opportunities to improve patient care and reduce inappropriate testosterone prescribing," Papaleontiou said in a statement. "Long term, these findings can lead to quality-improvement efforts and clinical decision support tools that promote consistent, guideline-concordant testosterone prescribing."
