 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. |
|
