In the past, transgender rights advocates and Democratic members of Congress have asked federal agencies to loosen these restrictions, which would make it easier for trans people to access the hormone as part of gender-affirming care.

But Wednesday’s panel was clear in its singular focus: how testosterone could improve cisgender men’s health.

“Testosterone therapy is safe, effective, and preventive,” said Dr. Helen Bernie, an associate professor of urology at Indiana University, where she directs the school’s male sexual and reproductive medicine program. “Testosterone is still regulated as if it were a dangerous performance-enhancing drug. … Because of this outdated classification, many physicians fear prescribing it or even screening for it.”