Hegseth’s Wife Brings His Macho Obsession to Women’s Health Push

JIM WATSON / Jim Watson, Getty Images Pete Hegseth’s wife, Jennifer Hegseth, who chairs the Military Spouse Commission, said a new women’s health task force will include “balancing the new testosterone with HRT for women.” HRT, or hormone replacement therapy, involves replacing female hormones typically lost during perimenopause or menopause.

The new women’s health plan echoes her husband’s obsession with testosterone replacement therapy for men.

The defense secretary announced in July a bizarre new screening program to monitor testosterone deficiency among service members.

Under the new policy, male active-duty and reserve service members aged 30 and older must be screened annually for low testosterone as part of their routine health assessments.

If treatment is recommended, service members have the option to undergo testosterone replacement therapy.

“This initiative, it’s not about artificial enhancement,” Hegseth, 46, said at the time of the announcement.

“It’s about restoring and optimizing your natural capabilities, protecting your longevity, ensuring you have the biological foundation required to sustain the fight.” But doctors disagree , calling the testosterone scheme “ridiculous” and “non-evidence-based”.

The task force Jennifer Hegseth referred to is a new Women’s Health Division within the National Institutes of Health, championed by first lady Melania Trump, to improve research, diagnosis, and treatment for conditions that affect women throughout their lives.

The initiative, announced on Monday, identifies menopause, infertility, endometriosis, and cardiovascular disease as areas needing further research.

Jennifer became chair of the president’s Military Spouse Commission nearly two months ago, an unpaid position aimed at improving the lives of military families.

Jennifer, 46, is Pete Herseth’s third wife, and the two have been married for seven years.

They met at Fox News, where Jennifer was Pete’s producer, and he was still married to his second wife, Samantha Derring, with whom he has three children.

Jennifer’s influence over her husband has drawn scrutiny in the Trump administration, as she was often seen at his right hand, sitting in on his meetings with reporters and preparing him for public appearances.

She allegedly even interviewed candidates for jobs at the Department of Defense.