Through May, 2021, a study published in Jama Network Open, has brought the relationship between testosterone and Covid to the forefront. During the pandemic before that a perception had been building up that testosterone levels make everything worse when it comes to catching the virus. This was mostly formed by the fact that in general, men seemed to have worse outcomes compared to women, and given that testosterone is seen as the 'male hormone' it seemed like an obvious correlation to draw upon.

However, in this new study, Diwan and his colleagues looked at 152 respondents, 92 men and 60 women, to evaluate the relationship at a hospital in St Louis. The study compared testosterone levels among men who developed severe complications, to those of men who got only milder symptoms, and surprisingly the correlation seems to work the other way.

Lower testosterone seems to map to greater severity. Also, lower testosterone seems to map to greater risk of hospitalisation among men.

It is important to note that the science around Covid-19 is still at a nascent stage and to suggest that men across the board start measuring their testosterone levels to 'prepare' for the risks of getting Covid. So, even though the study seems to be reliable, and has been commented on by experts all across the world, it must be seen as a study of correlations and no inferences on causation be drawn. Not just yet, anyway. The big takeaway is that the view that had formed during the early days of the pandemic about testosterone being particularly dangerous for the Covid experience is not well founded.

However, it is always a good time for men to evaluate their ageing experience, which is linked to a decline in testosterone. Implications range from greater anxiety and stress, trouble sleeping, feeling a loss of strength, and a decline in sexual function. This can be assessed through the Ageing Male Symptoms (AMS) questionnaire that takes less than four minutes to complete, and doing it right here you can even index your experience to other men's.