HoldsUp

Rena Malik

Rena Malik is a urologist, pelvic surgeon, and sexual health educator. Her published research investigates the quality and impact of online and social media communication regarding urological and sexual health topics, including pelvic pain, low libido, and prostate cancer. She has also contributed to clinical research and guidelines concerning female stress urinary incontinence and lower urinary tract therapies.

78 claims checked on air: 13 context 3 contradicted 5 overstated 47 supported 10 unverified

What they said on air - contradicted

0:45:12contradictedhighSex Expert: What Women Actually Need To Enjoy Sex

Treating sleep apnea can increase testosterone levels by up to 200 ng/dL.

"When you improve sleep apnea, we've seen improvements in testosterone as high as 200 nanograms per deciliter. So huge jumps in testosterone after fixing sleep apnea." (said at 0:45:12)

Systematic reviews and meta-analyses of prospective cohort studies and randomized controlled trials consistently demonstrate that treating obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) does not produce meaningful or statistically significant increases in total testosterone levels, let alone increases of up to 200 ng/dL. While untreated severe OSA is associated with secondary hypogonadism, therapeutic CPAP intervention has not been shown to significantly elevate serum testosterone or reverse hypogonadal states.

1:20:15contradictedmoderateSex Expert: What Women Actually Need To Enjoy Sex

Oral contraceptive use increases sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) levels in women long-term.

"In women, SHBG goes up when you take oral contraceptives and it stays up for life if you take oral contraceptives." (said at 1:20:15)

The spoken statement contains two claims: (1) oral contraceptives increase sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) levels during use, and (2) SHBG remains elevated for life after taking oral contraceptives. The first assertion is well supported: oral contraceptives stimulate hepatic production of SHBG, causing significant elevations during active use. However, the assertion that SHBG remains elevated for life is contradicted by published data. While one small retrospective study in women with sexual dysfunction observed that SHBG remained higher than never-users at a mean follow-up of 196 days post-discontinuation (PMID: 16409223), prospective studies show SHBG levels return to baseline within approximately 8 weeks after cessation (PMID: 17118366). Furthermore, large population-based cohort studies in postmenopausal women (e.g., n=1,983) have found no evidence of lifelong elevation of SHBG among past oral contraceptive users; past users actually exhibited slightly lower circulating SHBG concentrations compared to never-users (PMID: 17667152).

1:24:25contradictedhighSex Expert: What Women Actually Need To Enjoy Sex

After approximately 18 months on testosterone replacement therapy, 70% of men become infertile.

"When you're on testosterone replacement after about 18 months, 70% of people on testosterone replacement will be infertile." (said at 1:24:25)

Exogenous testosterone suppresses luteinizing hormone and follicle-stimulating hormone, suppressing spermatogenesis and inducing azoospermia or severe oligozoospermia in the vast majority of men within 3 to 6 months, rather than requiring 18 months to reach 70%. The figures cited appear to conflate suppression timelines with spermatogenic recovery milestones following cessation of testosterone therapy, where integrated analyses show approximately 67% of men recover normal sperm concentrations (≥20 million/mL) within 6 months and over 96% recover by 16 to 24 months.

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