 Male menopause (Andropause) has never been in the public spotlight because men who experience the characteristic decline in virility during middle age are reluctant or even unwilling to acknowledge the condition.
It is all too often seen as inevitable. In fact, in most instances, this condition goes untreated.
Improvements in endocrinology and reproductive medicine now offers a comprehensive treatment program for male menopause, a condition that previously received almost no attention from the medical establishment, the media or from the men it affected. It is now known that the male menopause phenomenon is due to a decline in Testosterone levels. By age 80, it has been found that most male hormone levels have decreased to pre-puberty levels. But, strangely, some men's hormone levels start dropping off in their early 40s while others remain high until the 80s. A Physician who treats male menopause, can, using sophisticated blood tests, determine if your Testosterone level is normal or below your normal range.
Symptoms of Male Menopause
The symptoms of male menopause are not as sudden as the changes women experience, and tend to creep up very gradually.
Symptoms that keep coming up time and time again for male menopause are:
Mental Attitude
Loss of drive at work and at play. Can't be bothered, no motivation. Lack of enthusiasm. Depression.
"Lost my get up and go" they say. Negative about things in general.
Poor concentration. less effective at work. Failing memory. Inability to plan a series of moves.
Physical
Loss of strength: muscle weakness can be very insidious. Without being aware of it the man is found to be using his hands more to get himself out of a chair or up the stairs. If left untreated there is gradual wasting (shrinking) of the muscles.
Loss of energy, very tired by early evening. Falling asleep in front of the TV.
Stiffness, aching in muscles and joints.
Reduced fitness. Signs of accelerated aging of the heart and circulation. If you have had significant heart trouble: get your hormone levels checked. There is often a correlation!
Tendency to increased sweating with exertion and often also at night. Not uncommon to stain the bed linen from excessive sweating.
Some men even get hot flushes similar to the ladies, though often their hands and feet remain cold.
Skin changes, dryness of the skin, tendency to get rashes easier. Loss of lustre of the hair. In severe cases, the bones are affected and become osteoporotic!
Emotional
Mood swings, feeling down, in some cases quite depressed, irritable, easily frustrated.
Loss of assertiveness. Loss of confidence.
Sexual
Loss of libido, i.e. loss of interest in sex. This again creeps up on the patient.
Physical changes in sexual performance. Morning erections occur less often and are short lived. Erections with sexual stimulation are not as hard as they used to be and progress to inability to maintain an erection, then inability to even achieve an erection!
These unanticipated physical and psychological changes can be cause for significant concern or even crisis.
The spouse is often at a loss to understand how the husband she knew could have changed so much, especially the personality changes. This can result in a powerful combination of anxiety and doubts, which can lead to total impotence with sexual frustration and marital breakdown.
In Boston, a recent study surveyed 1700 middle-aged men. The report states 51% of normal, healthy males age 40 to 70 suffered from the above male menopause symptoms. The aging process alone, can not be responsible for this problem as well over 40% of males remain sexually active at 70 years of age and beyond.
Causes and Treatment
There seem to be many influencing factors in male menopause and not all have been fully researched. Some known contributors to this condition are, excessive alcohol consumption, smoking, hypertension, previous vasectomy, hernia operations, mumps, prostatitis, varicocoele, prescription and non-prescription medications, poor diet, lack of exercise, poor circulation, and severe physical or emotional stress.
European studies are finding men can improve in sexual function, muscle strength, and general well being if treated with supplements bringing their testosterone levels into the high normal range.
Currently, creams, troches, tablets, injections, implants and a transdermal patch are available for testosterone supplementation.
Testosterone implants are becoming the gold standard for best therapy. |
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