The short version
Men’s health guidance moved more in the last two years than in the decade before it. Testosterone labels changed twice, obesity got a new clinical definition, a major cholesterol guideline recommended a test most men have never had, and weight-loss medicines picked up new uses. None of this means you need to overhaul your health, but a few changes are worth acting on at your next checkup.
| Change | When | One line for your next checkup |
|---|---|---|
| FDA testosterone label rewrite | February 2025 | If you are on TRT, expect blood pressure checks at every visit |
| FDA requests further testosterone label updates | June 2026 | Diagnosis rules have not changed; labels are being revised |
| Endocrine Society statement on testosterone | July 2026 | Ask whether your lab’s testosterone assay is standardized |
| Clinical obesity definition | January 2025 | Bring a waist measurement, not just your weight |
| Lp(a) once in every adult’s lifetime | March 2026 | If you have never had it, ask for it once |
| Semaglutide label expansions | As of 2026 | Fatty liver now has an approved medicine option for some men |
| New high blood pressure guideline | August 2025 | Know your measured numbers, not a guess |
Testosterone: a new label, then a second update
On February 28, 2025, the FDA required class-wide labeling changes for every testosterone product. The labels added the results of the TRAVERSE cardiovascular safety trial, removed boxed warning language about an increased risk of adverse cardiovascular outcomes, and added a new warning that testosterone can raise blood pressure. At that point the FDA kept the “limitation of use” language for age-related low testosterone.
That changed in 2026. The FDA’s testosterone information page says the agency requested further updates in June 2026, removing the age-related limitation of use and revising safety information on prostate cancer and benign prostatic hyperplasia. Labels are being revised product by product.
The Endocrine Society added its own statement in July 2026: symptoms alone are not diagnostic, diagnosis needs at least two early-morning fasting tests, about 300 ng/dL is a common threshold, assays should be standardized through the CDC’s certification program, and weight loss is typically first-line when excess weight is the cause.
For your checkup: on TRT, blood pressure belongs on every visit; our article on whether TRT can raise blood pressure explains why. Off TRT, the path to a diagnosis is unchanged. Our explainer on the FDA’s 2025 testosterone label changes covers the details.
Obesity: BMI is no longer the whole diagnosis
In January 2025, an international Lancet Commission proposed that BMI alone should not diagnose obesity in an individual. Excess body fat should be confirmed by another measure, such as waist size or a direct body fat measurement, and then classed as clinical obesity, where it is already harming organs or daily function, or preclinical obesity, where function is still normal.
For men, this cuts both ways. A muscular man with a high BMI may not have obesity at all, while a man with a normal BMI and a large waist may carry more risk than his weight suggests. Our article on obesity redefined beyond BMI explains the categories.
For your checkup: measure your waist at the navel and bring the number. A body composition analysis gives a more direct look at fat and muscle.
Cholesterol: Lp(a) once for every adult
The 2026 ACC/AHA dyslipidemia guideline, published in March, is the first from those groups to recommend measuring lipoprotein(a) at least once in every adult’s lifetime. The ACC’s summary notes that levels above 125 nmol/L and 250 nmol/L are associated with about 1.4-fold and at least 2-fold higher cardiovascular risk.
The guideline also brought back numeric targets. For people with a 10-year risk of 10% or more on the new PREVENT calculator, it sets goals of LDL cholesterol below 70 mg/dL and non-HDL cholesterol below 100 mg/dL; for borderline or intermediate risk, below 100 and 130 mg/dL. It upgraded coronary artery calcium scoring for refining risk, and noted that treatment can be intensified for a high ApoB even when LDL is at goal.
For your checkup: if you have never had Lp(a) tested, ask for it once, especially with a family history of early heart disease. Our page on the lipoprotein(a) test explains how to read it.
Weight-loss medicines and the liver
GLP-1 medicines kept expanding. As of October 2026, the Wegovy label includes treatment of noncirrhotic metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) with moderate to advanced liver fibrosis in adults, under accelerated approval, as well as a tablet form for weight management and a higher 7.2 mg weekly dose for people who tolerate 2.4 mg and need more weight reduction.
Compounding moved the other way. Shortage-based compounding of semaglutide and tirzepatide ended in 2025, and individualized compounding now requires a documented clinical need; our article on compounded GLP-1 rules covers what that means.
For your checkup: if you have been told you have fatty liver, ask whether it has been staged. Our page on fatty liver disease in men explains the next steps.
Blood pressure, and what to bring
The American Heart Association and American College of Cardiology also replaced their 2017 high blood pressure guideline in August 2025. Whatever the thresholds, the practical lesson for most men is the same: a properly measured number beats a guess, and home readings from several days give your clinician more to work with than one rushed office reading.
A short checklist for your next visit:
- Home blood pressure readings from several days
- Your waist measurement at the navel
- Any past cholesterol results, and whether Lp(a) was ever measured
- Your last testosterone results, with the time of day of each draw
- A list of medicines, including any weight-loss or hormone treatment
How Ultimate Male keeps your labs current
Guidelines change; the goal of knowing your own numbers does not. Our preventative blood testing at San Gabriel and Downey includes a targeted panel with ApoB, Lp(a), hs-CRP, vitamin D, iron, zinc, B12 and liver and kidney markers, and the cardiovascular risk panel page shows how the heart markers fit together. Blood is drawn on site, and results are usually back within 24 to 48 hours.
A PA-C or MD explains what has changed in how your numbers are read, and what, if anything, to do about it. If it has been a while since your last labs, start with the free 10-minute phone call at 626-319-5261.
