Some recent research (testosterone is a member of the androgen group): (2022). "Endocrine disruptors of sex hormone activities." Vartikovski et al. https://sc

Some recent research (testosterone is a member of the androgen group): (2022). "Endocrine disruptors of sex hormone activities." Vartikovski et al. https://sci-hub.se/10.1016/j.mce.2021.111415 https://sci-hub.se/10.1016/j.mce.2021.111415 > "In this review we focus on sex hormones and their mimetics whose effects reach far beyond reproductive health and development: androgen (A), estrogen (E) and progesterone (P), because substantial experimental and epidemiologic data support their presence in the environment and potential effects as EDCs. We reviewed extensive literature on steroids in the environment and methods used for their detection, studies on variety of organisms, including fish and amphibians (Scholz et al., 2013). We have included glucocorticoids (G) in this review because activation of glucocorticoid receptor (GR) substantially alters the biological effects of other nuclear receptors, as described in the GR section. This information underscores the complexity in establishing guidelines for “acceptable” levels of EDCs, especially when a mixture of EDCs is detected in environmental samples." This is complicated because exposure in the womb can have effects that only occur later in life (post-puberty, say), so it's not just immediate environmental exposure. Abnormal hormone production could even be related to exposures in previous generations. > "The harmful effects of prenatal exposure to EDCs may not be immediately apparent and could manifest later in life, making it difficult to discern from other causes and some EDCs lead to harmful traits that are carried over to future generations (transgenerational effects) (Brehm and Flaws, 2019). These transgenerational effects frequently have epigenetic origin. Although they do not induce changes in DNA sequence, their effects are, nonetheless, inheritable (Ankolkar and Balasinor, 2016)." Note also there is public confusion over how sex hormones work: it's the ratio of 'male' to 'female' sex hormones that matters, as males and females also produce estrogen and testosterone respectively, so defects in either production pathway can have notable effects in women as well as in men: > "Human testosterone is mainly produced by testis in males and the ovary in females. In addition to male sexuality and reproductive health, androgens are also critical for female reproduction. Dysregulation of androgens in females results in polycystic ovary, which is associated with infertility, obesity, insulin resistance and other disorders." Practically, this means that in certain specific disorders, testosterone therapy for women and estrogen therapy for men are the appropriate options, although societally this would unfortunately be interpreted as some culture war issue regarding the 'feminization of men' or the 'masculinization of women'.