---
title: "Testosterone Therapy in Men Often Prescribed Inconsistently with Guidelines, ENDO 2026 Study Shows"
id: "endocrine-news-0-video-testosterone-therapy-in-men-may-be-overprescribed-inconsistent-with"
canonical_url: "https://medichelpline.com/clinical-feed/endocrine-news-0-video-testosterone-therapy-in-men-may-be-overprescribed-inconsistent-with"
content_type: "clinical_feed_article"
specialty: "Endocrinology"
source_name: "Endocrine News"
source_url: "https://endocrinenews.endocrine.org/video-testosterone-therapy-in-men-may-be-overprescribed-inconsistent-with-clinical-guidelines/"
published_at: "2026-08-19T07:19:00.000Z"
evidence_level: "Verified Feed"
license: "CC-BY-NC-4.0 / Informational Use"
---
# Testosterone Therapy in Men Often Prescribed Inconsistently with Guidelines, ENDO 2026 Study Shows
## Provenance & Clinical Metadata
- **Canonical URL:** https://medichelpline.com/clinical-feed/endocrine-news-0-video-testosterone-therapy-in-men-may-be-overprescribed-inconsistent-with
- **Specialty:** [Endocrinology](https://medichelpline.com/clinical-feed/endocrinology.md)
- **Primary Source:** Endocrine News
- **Source URL:** [Original Journal Publication](https://endocrinenews.endocrine.org/video-testosterone-therapy-in-men-may-be-overprescribed-inconsistent-with-clinical-guidelines/)
- **Published At:** 2026-08-19T07:19:00.000Z
- **Evidence Rating:** Verified Feed
## Executive GIST (TL;DR)
- A retrospective chart review presented at ENDO 2026 evaluated guideline concordance of **testosterone therapy** initiation in men at Michigan Medicine. The study used a random sample of 200 people assigned male at birth who received an initial testosterone prescription between 2020 and 2025. - Mean age of the cohort was 52.5 years. Common comorbidities were obesity (63%), hypertension (52%), depression (40%), diabetes (28%) and arthritis (28%). - Only 12% of patients met the study’s composite criteria for guideline-concordant diagnostic testing prior to their first testosterone prescription. That composite required two low morning total testosterone values ( 4 ng/mL before starting testosterone. - Prescribing clinicians were primarily primary care physicians (45%), urologists (35.5%) and endocrinologists (18%); 68.5% of prescriptions were for a **topical** testosterone formulation. - Investigators (Sophia Hemmrich Sinha, MD, and senior author Maria Papaleontiou, MD) concluded that many men received testosterone without complete diagnostic evaluation consistent with clinical guidelines and that improving **guideline-concordant** prescribing could reduce unnecessary risk. - The authors suggest the findings support development of quality-improvement efforts and clinical decision support tools, and they recommended future studies to test targeted interventions to improve practice.
## Clinical Analysis & Structured Key Points
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[Login](https://endocrinenews.endocrine.org/auth/login/?redirect=https://endocrinenews.endocrine.org/video-testosterone-therapy-in-men-may-be-overprescribed-inconsistent-with-clinical-guidelines/) ![](https://endocrinenews.endocrine.org/wp-content/themes/mg-starter/assets/images/Endocrine_News_standard_logo.svg) * * * # VIDEO: Testosterone Therapy in Men May Be Overprescribed, Inconsistent with Clinical Guidelines Improving guideline-concordant testosterone prescribing can prevent avoidable risks in people without a clinical need for it, according to a study presented by Sophia Hemmrich Sinha, MD, at ENDO 2026 August 19, 2026 Print this article Share this article ![](https://endocrinenews.endocrine.org/wp-content/uploads/Video_Sinha_Aug_19.jpg)[Links to: https://youtube.com/shorts/B7kXkqOgKWk?si=e7fc-VSJLa5wT4CC](https://youtube.com/shorts/B7kXkqOgKWk?si=e7fc-VSJLa5wT4CC) **[Sophia Sinha, MD, discusses her ENDO 2026 research on the small number of men who were prescribed testosterone therapy that received appropriate, guideline-concordant diagnostic testing.](https://youtube.com/shorts/B7kXkqOgKWk?si=e7fc-VSJLa5wT4CC)** “Our study findings highlight opportunities to improve patient care and reduce inappropriate testosterone prescribing. Long-term, these findings can lead to quality-improvement efforts and clinical decision support tools that promote consistent, guideline-concordant testosterone prescribing,” said senior author Maria Papaleontiou, M.D., associate professor at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Mich. The retrospective chart review included a random sample of 200 males assigned at birth (mean age, 52.5 years) with at least one outpatient primary care visit at Michigan Medicine in the past year, who had a diagnosis of hypogonadism, and received an initial testosterone prescription during the study period (2020 to 2025). > “The majority of men had incomplete laboratory evaluation prior to their first testosterone prescription, and some had counter indications to testosterone therapy.” – Sophia Hemmrich Sinha, MD The most common coexisting medical conditions in the study population included obesity (63%), hypertension (52%), depression (40%), diabetes (28%) and arthritis (28%). That data show only 12% of men who received an initial testosterone prescription had two low morning testosterone levels (total testosterone 4 ng/mL before being prescribed testosterone. Prescriptions were written by primary care physicians (45%), urologists (35.5%), endocrinologists (18%) and other specialists (1.5%). The most common testosterone prescription was a topical formulation (68.5%). Sinha and Papaleontiou said improving guideline-concordant testosterone prescribing can help prevent avoidable risks in people who may not have a true clinical need for it. “Future studies should evaluate whether targeted interventions are needed,” Papaleontiou said. * * * ## TOPICS IN THIS ARTICLE: [Hormone Therapies](https://endocrinenews.endocrine.org/category/hormone-therapies/) ←[Star Power 2026: Q&A with Dillon Boulton, PhD](https://endocrinenews.endocrine.org/star-power-2026-qa-with-dillon-boulton-phd/) ## RELATED ARTICLES * ![VIDEO: Clinical Trials Suggest GLP-1s May Improve fertility in Men with Obesity](https://endocrinenews.endocrine.org/wp-content/uploads/Video_Natesh_Aug_12-1024x536.jpg) ### [ VIDEO: Clinical Trials Suggest GLP-1s May Improve fertility in Men with Obesity ](https://endocrinenews.endocrine.org/video-clinical-trials-suggest-glp-1s-may-improve-fertility-in-men-with-obesity/) August 12, 2026 * ![VIDEO: Testosterone Alone is Not a Replacement for Lifestyle Changes in Older Men at Risk of Type 2 Diabetes](https://endocrinenews.endocrine.org/wp-content/uploads/Wittert_Video_-Aug_5--1024x536.jpg) ### [ VIDEO: Testosterone Alone is Not a Replacement for Lifestyle Changes in Older Men at Risk of Type 2 Diabetes ](https://endocrinenews.endocrine.org/video-testosterone-alone-is-not-a-replacement-for-lifestyle-changes-in-older-men-at-risk-of-type-2-diabetes/) August 5, 2026 * ![To T or Not To T?](https://endocrinenews.endocrine.org/wp-content/uploads/TestosteroneBottles-002-1024x512.jpg) ### [ To T or Not To T? ](https://endocrinenews.endocrine.org/to-t-or-not-to-t-should-we-treat-low-testosterone-in-men-with-obesity/) June 10, 2026 * * * ADVERTISEMENT ![August 2026](https://endocrinenews.endocrine.org/wp-content/uploads/08.26_coverPROOF001-749x1024.jpg) [View Archives](https://endocrinenews.endocrine.org/magazine-issues/) ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT ![](https://endocrinenews.endocrine.org/wp-content/themes/mg-starter/assets/images/scientists_optim-1024x569.jpg) ## Join the Global Movement Advancing Endocrine Science and Medicine Become a part of a community of 18,000-plus endocrine investigators and clinicians who conduct research and provide quality patient care in more than 100 countries. 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