Testosterone doesn't equal masculinity.

Do you have what it takes to be "High-T?" Service members are about to find out, as Defense secretary Pete Hegseth announced that the military will be screening men for low testosterone, a hormone found in both women and men that supports bone mass development, red blood cell production, energy levels, and more. It's an important marker of overall health in men, but will it push the United States military to the 'leading edge of lethality' as promised by Hegseth? To get into the facts and fictions around testosterone, Brittany is joined by NPR health correspondent Will Stone , and Dr. Helen Bernie , Director of Sexual and Reproductive Medicine and associate professor of urology at Indiana University. Want more on gender and health? Check out these episodes: Boundaries, bodies, and better sex The key to thriving later in life: menopause Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org .

This episode was produced by Corey Antonio Rose. It was edited by Neena Pathak. We had engineering support from Kwesi Lee. Our Supervising Producer is Cher Vincent. Our Executive Producer is Barton Girdwood. Our VP of Programming is Yolanda Sangweni.