“What happens to your package downstairs when you start testosterone replacement therapy?” asks TikTok user @kmartfit. “You’re gonna notice that your libido and sex drive go through the roof.”
@kmartfit, who posts hormone optimization content to his almost 80,000 followers, adds that it helps you lose body fat “so that pouch around the trunk of your package is going to go away making your package appear bigger and more vascular.”
Across social media, men are posting hundreds of videos praising the benefits of increased testosterone, often associating higher levels with “alpha male” standing. Prescriptions for testosterone-replacement therapy have risen 20% from 2016 to 2019, according to a recent Business Insider investigation, and a once-taboo topic is now being discussed openly online, with men tracking their testosterone levels and sharing tips and treatments. (Recent data suggests only a tiny fraction of testosterone-replacement therapy can be attributed to trans healthcare: Just 0.5% of U.S. adults identify as trans, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.)
“My reaction to week 2 of TRT,” TikTok user @jamesmanteit posted. (“TRT” stands for testosterone replacement therapy.) He claims to feel much happier and less irritable, and has more endurance in his workouts and increased libido. “I’m getting looks all the time from chicks,” he says. “They can just smell the testosterone in the air.”
It’s not just those online talking about TRT: Celebrities are also on board. “Doing a full battery of health scans, tests, etc.,” Reddit cofounder Alexis Ohanian, recently posted on X. “On the plus-side: 822 ng/dL total + 162 ng/dL free testosterone.” He credited his relatively high testosterone levels to weight lifting, “cleaner” eating habits, and testosterone-support supplements from the healthcare company Ro (in which he is an investor).
In a 2021 episode of his podcast, Joe Rogan said he got on testosterone-replacement therapy at the age of 40. “It makes a big difference,” he said. That same year, the actor Dax Shepard said on his podcast that “heavy testosterone injections” were partly responsible for his ability to put on 24 pounds of muscle. “I spent my whole life as a medium boy,” he added, “and now I’m a big boy and I like it.”
According to Mayo Clinic, testosterone therapy can help reverse the effects of hypogonadism (which hampers the body’s ability to produce normal amounts of testosterone), but it’s unclear whether testosterone therapy would benefit men who are otherwise healthy, especially young men. There are downsides, however, which can include hair loss, acne, enlarged breasts, risks of blood clots, and even infertility. The Harvard Medical School suggests taking a “cautious approach” when it comes to TRT.