Private clinics are selling testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) to men over 35, often based on dubious blood tests and without proper diagnosis .

The $30 million toe in the water

According to the Society for Endocrinology, private clinics have sold over 200,000 testosterone blood tests in the UK, with around 30,000 men currently on their treatment programme.

Leading experts argue these clinics are medicalising vague symptoms such as fatigue to sell TRT to men who don't need it.

Testosterone replacement therrapy may affect men's fertility and increase their risk of heart disease and stroke.

What auditors flagged in the May filing

Professor Richard Quinton, a consultant endocrinologist at the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle, said the growing use of TRT via private clinics is 'the worst instance of medicalising normal biology that I have encountered.'

Some private clinics offered unlicensed drugs and upsold libido boosters with minimal checks.

At 54, the author was told he needed TRT despite an NHS check showing his testosterone levels were so high that his GP gave him further tests to check for a tumour.

Who is the unnamed buyer?

Private clinics are willing to prescribe testosterone at varying levels, often without proper diagnosis.

The author filled in an online questionnaire and ordered a blood test with Voy, which said it's 'trated more men for testosterone deficiency than any other UK clinic.'

Voy's blood test indicated low testosterone, but the author's NHS check showed his levels were normal.

Broader context: An echo of Sydney's 2024 institutional buy-up

The growing use of TRT via private clinics echoes the 2024 institutional buy-up in Sydney, where private clinics were selling unproven treatments to patients.

Experts warn that this could lead to fertility problems and increased risk of heart disease and stroke.

Private clinics are cashing in on men over 35 with unproven testosterone replacement therapy, raising concernns about fertility and heart disease.

Open questions: What are the long-term effects of TRT?

The long-term effects of TRT are still unknown, but experts warn that it may affect men's fertility and increase their risk of heart disease and stroke.

Private clinics are willing to prescribe testosterone at varying levels, often without proper diagnosis.

The author's NHS check showed his testosterone levels were normal, but he was still prescribed TRT by a private clinic.