{"id":691767,"date":"2026-05-18T04:43:00","date_gmt":"2026-05-18T03:43:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.intouchrugby.com\/magazine\/?p=691767"},"modified":"2026-05-18T12:47:09","modified_gmt":"2026-05-18T11:47:09","slug":"men-on-the-sidelines-hormone-health-crisis-leaves-uk-men-waiting-while-demand-surges-nhs-testosterone-prescriptions-are-up-22-but-men-face-waits-of-up-to-a-year-for-treatment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.intouchrugby.com\/magazine\/men-on-the-sidelines-hormone-health-crisis-leaves-uk-men-waiting-while-demand-surges-nhs-testosterone-prescriptions-are-up-22-but-men-face-waits-of-up-to-a-year-for-treatment\/","title":{"rendered":"Men on the Sidelines: Hormone Health Crisis Leaves UK Men Waiting While Demand Surges\u2026 NHS testosterone prescriptions are up 22%, but men face waits of up to a year for treatment"},"content":{"rendered":"

Men on the Sidelines: Hormone Health Crisis Leaves UK Men Waiting While Demand Surges… NHS testosterone prescriptions are up 22%, but men face waits of up to a year for treatment<\/strong><\/p>\n

As conversations around performance, recovery, and mental resilience remain central to modern rugby, a growing health issue affecting thousands of men is being overlooked: testosterone deficiency.<\/p>\n

Demand for testosterone treatment is rising sharply across the UK, with NHS prescriptions increasing by 22% in 2023 and over \u00a313.5 million spent on testosterone therapies in 2024. But despite this surge, men face a slow, fragmented NHS pathway that can take up to 12 months to access treatment, if they qualify at all.<\/p>\n

For rugby players – past and present – this matters.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Low testosterone is linked to reduced muscle mass, fatigue, slower recovery, brain fog, low mood, and decreased performance. Yet many men reporting these symptoms are told they are “just stress” or part of ageing.<\/p>\n

A system not built for men<\/strong><\/p>\n

Currently, there is no dedicated national strategy for men’s hormonal health. This stands in stark contrast to significant investment in women’s health, including a \u00a325 million rollout of menopause hubs and faster diagnostic pathways.<\/p>\n

While progress in women’s healthcare is both necessary and welcome, clinicians say the lack of equivalent focus on men’s health is creating a growing and dangerous gap.<\/p>\n

Men already face poorer health outcomes across the board, including shorter life expectancy than women, significantly higher suicide rates, and lower engagement with preventative healthcare.<\/p>\n

Testosterone plays a key role not just in physical performance, but in mental resilience, regulating mood, motivation, and energy levels.<\/p>\n

The impact beyond the pitch<\/strong><\/p>\n

For athletes and active men, the effects can be profound. Many experience declining strength and endurance, an increased risk of injury, and noticeably slower recovery. Others report a loss of confidence both on and off the field, alongside mental health struggles, including anxiety and depression.<\/p>\n

Despite this, many men fall through the cracks due to restrictive NHS thresholds and long referral times.<\/p>\n

Expert comment<\/strong><\/p>\n

Dr Aamer Khan, a Harley Street physician and expert in cellular and rejuvenative medicine, has seen this gap first-hand. He says:<\/p>\n

“We’re seeing men in their 30s, 40s and 50s – many of them active, high-performing individuals – who know something isn’t right but are being told their bloods are normal or that their symptoms are stress-related, without proper hormonal investigation. In many cases, they are waiting months just to be tested, and even longer for clarity or treatment.<\/p>\n

“In performance terms, it’s like asking a player to compete at half capacity. This isn’t just about ageing, it’s about health, recovery, and mental resilience. The healthcare pathway for male hormonal health is not keeping pace with demand, and the system simply isn’t set up to handle it.”<\/p>\n

A new approach<\/strong><\/p>\n

In response, Check From Home<\/a><\/span><\/span> has launched a streamlined service offering at-home hormone testing, clinician-reviewed results, and a clear treatment pathway. This removes delays and barriers that currently leave many men without answers.<\/p>\n

The bigger picture<\/strong><\/p>\n

In a sport that prides itself on strength, discipline, and resilience, there is growing recognition that health off the pitch is just as important as performance on it.<\/p>\n

The question is no longer whether men’s hormonal health matters.<\/strong><\/p>\n

It’s why the system still isn’t treating it like it does.<\/strong><\/p>\n

About Check From Home<\/strong><\/p>\n

Check From Home is a diagnostic service focused on improving access to early health testing. It offers at-home finger-prick and EasyDraw hormone tests, with clinician-reviewed results from a fully qualified doctor and a prescription pathway where clinically appropriate. The service is designed to provide faster access to insight and support, without the months of waiting, postcode lottery variability, or restrictive NHS thresholds that can leave symptomatic men without answers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Men on the Sidelines: Hormone Health Crisis Leaves UK Men Waiting While Demand Surges… NHS testosterone prescriptions are up 22%, but men face waits of up to a year for treatment As conversations around performance, recovery, and mental resilience remain central to modern rugby, a growing health issue affecting thousands of men is being overlooked: […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":691768,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-691767","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-clubs"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.intouchrugby.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/691767","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.intouchrugby.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.intouchrugby.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.intouchrugby.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.intouchrugby.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=691767"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.intouchrugby.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/691767\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":691769,"href":"https:\/\/www.intouchrugby.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/691767\/revisions\/691769"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.intouchrugby.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/691768"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.intouchrugby.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=691767"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.intouchrugby.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=691767"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.intouchrugby.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=691767"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}