Sawt Falasteen - Social media fuels surge in UK men seeking testosterone jabs

Men's hormone levels can fluctuate for lifestyle reasons but many are being prescribed testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) without medical need despite the health risks, doctors in the UK and Australia told AFP.

Promotional campaigns by private clinics use social media and influencers, as well as an ad campaign in the London Underground, to encourage young body-conscious men to test their levels, claiming fatigue or irritation are symptoms.

"Do you wish you could have more energy? Less body fat? A higher sex drive?" asks one ad.

Costly treatments could be the answer.

The trend is now affecting the state-funded National Health Service, since many seek free treatment there.

The number of men referred to NHS specialists after being diagnosed privately "has really exploded", said Channa Jayasena, a professor of endocrinology at Imperial College.

"It's a huge problem for us, which is impacting our ability to treat other patients."

TRT is needed by those with true deficiency, known as hypogonadism, including men who never went through puberty or had testicular cancer.

But some clinics prescribe it to men with normal levels and risking side-effects including infertility and thickened blood that carries cardiovascular risks, doctors warn.

While private clinics are not obliged to disclose numbers, Jayasena estimated "hundreds of thousands" of men in the UK have accessed costly TRT privately.

And most "just don't need it at all", he said.

- Manosphere -

Isobelle Smith, an endocrinologist in New South Wales, Australia, has made Instagram videos debunking TRT claims.

"I've seen the advertising that up to one in four or one in five men before the age of 40 have testosterone deficiency -- that is just absolutely not true," she told AFP.

"These companies are saying that essentially normal levels are low," she said.

"Really, it's performance-enhancing drugs."

Some link the TRT craze to the "manosphere" culture with its fixation on bulging muscles and longevity.

Misogynist influencer Andrew Tate claims to have "high T" and berates men with "low T". US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. recently extolled President Donald Trump's high levels.

Data on private clinics is not available, but prescriptions for testosterone by family doctors rose 13 percent in 2024 in England, according to the Care Quality Commission regulator.

The NHS in England spent over £30 million ($40.1 million) in 2024 on testosterone jabs and gels, according to the OpenPrescribing website. Some were used for gender change and women's health.

Studies in the United States and Europe have shown testosterone levels declining for decades, which scientists link to lifestyle and environmental factors.

Despite the scepticism from medical professionals, men told AFP they had felt the positive effects of TRT.

Gavin McNamee, a 41-year-old personal trainer from northeast England, said he had had poor mental health and low energy. But after five months of treatment, he said: "I just feel so much better".

"I feel like a different person," agreed Carl Graham, a 38-year-old legal administrator from Liverpool on TRT for over six months.

Neither man consulted NHS doctors, and both inject testosterone prescribed privately, paying £100 to £200 a month.

- 'Take a test' -

Heavily-muscled influencers promote clinics offering TRT via gels, pills or injections.

Jayasena said images of "men with six-packs even in their 50s and 60s", such as Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, had great sway.

Advertising testosterone, like any prescription-only medicine, is illegal in the UK.

But private clinics circumvent this by advertising blood tests.

"Feeling tired, unfocused, or taking longer to recover after workouts? It could be time to check your testosterone levels," reads one ad for Harley Street TRT provider.

"If you don't feel like you're firing on all cylinders, take a test," ex-commando and television personality Jason Fox says in a video promoted by online provider Voy.

The ads appear to target young men, and Harley Street TRT has a "25 plus" setting on its Meta ads, offering personal trainers £50 per referral.

Each patient generates an "average £1,500 ($2,000) profit per year," it says.

Q.Najjar--SF-PST