Low testosterone levels are plaguing American men. Or at least, that’s been the line of the manosphere for years, and since they somehow run everything (including the US Military now), it’s a concern that has managed to successfully permeate the minds of regular-ass dudes who are now worried they are lesser men. Well, have no fear, telehealth giant Hims is here to capitalize on…er, help address your feelings of inadequacy by offering testosterone replacement therapy service.
The company announced Wednesday that it is launching a new service for solving the “low T” lifestyle. Hims will offer an at-home capillary blood test that collects a sample without a blood draw. Instead, the Tasso collection device punctures the skin with microneedles to get a small sample without a lab visit or venous draw. That sample gets sent back to the lab and tested for a number of biomarkers, including testosterone levels.
The test then gets reviewed by a Hims provider, who is able to prescribe hormone replacement therapy if it is “medically appropriate” (but note that Hims has come under fire in the past for being pretty generous about handing out prescriptions).
Those who qualify for the treatment can choose between two types of injectable treatments, as well as an oral pill option that can be sent to patients after they take an at-home capillary blood test. The injections can be taken once or twice a week, depending on which treatment option a person chooses, and they reportedly produce improved testosterone levels in a matter of days. The oral capsule, meanwhile, is taken daily and can take up to 90 days to show results.
“Treating testosterone deficiency isn’t just about improving a lab result,” Hims said in a press release, which seems like exactly the sort of thing you’d say when you know that’s what a lot of guys are worried about. The company also went out of its way to emphasize that a majority of men prioritize “more energy” over “more muscle,” according to a survey Hims commissioned.
That all seems a bit like it’s preempting some of the more MAGA and manosphere-aligned views of testosterone, given that it’s become something of an obsession in those parts of the culture. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth recently announced that the military would institute mandatory testosterone testing for service members who are over 30 years old and would offer hormone replacement therapy to anyone who shows low levels, despite the concerns of medical professionals, who largely believe testing at age 30 is not appropriate and have expressed concerns about prescribing treatment when it’s not needed.
Just don’t tell these guys this is a form of gender affirming care, or they’ll have an aneurysm as their brain tries to square the extremely masculine urge to have testosterone pumping through their veins with the (in their eyes) extremely feminine urge to go to the doctor.
