Testosterone Hysteria: An Interview with Abraham Morgentaler, MD

[Nelson Vergel]

Open any paper, browse the Internet or turn on the television and you’ll see the latest scary news on testosterone (T). A new rat study links T to prostate cancer. Several new studies purport to link testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) with a higher risk of having a heart attack or stroke. An advisory committee to the FDA expressed concerns about T overprescribing and fears of heightened risk for a cardiovascular event (CVE), suggesting tighter restrictions. Class action lawyers wasted no time in filing CVE lawsuits for over 300 TRT plaintiffs, and the case is now combined as a multi-district litigation in federal court in Northern Illinois. Like circling sharks, my legal brethren are already trolling for prostate cancer plaintiffs based on the new rat study.
If you’re on TRT, or thinking about it, should you be alarmed? Terrified? I asked Dr. Abraham Morgentaler, the Director of Men’s Health Boston and an Associate Clinical Professor of Urology at Harvard Medical School. He’s “the man” when it comes to T. This guy is probably the world’s foremost expert on men’s sexual and reproductive health and is known for his research and scientific writing on TRT. At a time when T hysteria dominates mainstream discourse, who better to help set the record straight?
Q: Testosterone is under fire these days. Why do you think there’s such a backlash in the medical community against TRT?

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