Are you over 40 and feeling fat, tired, irritable, depressed and undervalued? Is it a midlife crisis or could you be suffering from the male menopause?
Sometimes known as the male climacteric (Greek klimacter meaning the rung of a ladder), there is a lot of discussion as to whether or not the male menopause exists in any real medical sense. We know for sure that women go through very definite physical changes in their mid life. Ovulation stops, hormone levels drop quickly. Within a few short years they become unable to have children any more. Of course these features don't apply to men.
Older Men & the Menopause
In contrast to women, male hormone levels remain pretty constant and most men can father children into their seventies. There is a gradual decline in hormone levels and, by the age of 80 years, serum testosterone concentrations fall to about 75% and free testosterone to about 50% of what they were at age 20. So where does the idea of men suffering a menopause come from?
Disease, Hormone Levels and HRT
Testosterone levels gradually reduce over time and that process may be naturally protective to the male body. For some men more dramatic hormonal changes signal the presence of diseases such as hypogonadism. If testosterone is linked with to decrease in sexual activity, declining muscle bulk, and reduction in minerals in bones, then in theory improvements should be made with hormone replacement therapy (HRT). This is not often the case however and there are significant risks in HRT such as non-cancerous growth of the prostate and excessive blood production. HRT in men has also been linked to prostate cancer and can exacerbate sleep apnea.
Medical opinion is divided. Treatment for men might be offered following investigation of symptoms and the doctor consulted.
Male Menopause as a Psychological Event
The term male menopause has come about because so many men experience mid-life dissatisfaction and difficulties. For some men these issues become all consuming, hence the term midlife crisis. Menopause is a word some people are using to express, amongst other things, unfulfilled desires and expectations, work dissatisfaction, the loss of passion in personal relationships and the loss of a positive body image as the ravages of time and abuse become glaringly obvious. The signs and symptoms signify menopause either as a disease or as a state of being.
Depression, nervousness
Decreased libido
Erectile dysfunction
Decreased bone and muscle mass
Flushes and sweats
Tiredness and fatigue
Poor concentration
Increased body mass, fat Men, like women, have to face change as they age and this is harder for some than others. Symptoms of possible disease do have to be investigated but be aware that the medicalization of life is leading to us becoming a society of 'pill poppers'. Feel down, take a pill, unable to get a long and sustained erection, take a pill, feeling tired, take a pill. But at the end of the day a pill is just a pill and it won't solve anything. Mid life is certainly a time for reflection, but be careful not to throw away the good things in your search for novelty, change, or the quest for youth.
Sometimes known as the male climacteric (Greek klimacter meaning the rung of a ladder), there is a lot of discussion as to whether or not the male menopause exists in any real medical sense. We know for sure that women go through very definite physical changes in their mid life. Ovulation stops, hormone levels drop quickly. Within a few short years they become unable to have children any more. Of course these features don't apply to men.
Older Men & the Menopause
In contrast to women, male hormone levels remain pretty constant and most men can father children into their seventies. There is a gradual decline in hormone levels and, by the age of 80 years, serum testosterone concentrations fall to about 75% and free testosterone to about 50% of what they were at age 20. So where does the idea of men suffering a menopause come from?
Disease, Hormone Levels and HRT
Testosterone levels gradually reduce over time and that process may be naturally protective to the male body. For some men more dramatic hormonal changes signal the presence of diseases such as hypogonadism. If testosterone is linked with to decrease in sexual activity, declining muscle bulk, and reduction in minerals in bones, then in theory improvements should be made with hormone replacement therapy (HRT). This is not often the case however and there are significant risks in HRT such as non-cancerous growth of the prostate and excessive blood production. HRT in men has also been linked to prostate cancer and can exacerbate sleep apnea.
Medical opinion is divided. Treatment for men might be offered following investigation of symptoms and the doctor consulted.
Male Menopause as a Psychological Event
The term male menopause has come about because so many men experience mid-life dissatisfaction and difficulties. For some men these issues become all consuming, hence the term midlife crisis. Menopause is a word some people are using to express, amongst other things, unfulfilled desires and expectations, work dissatisfaction, the loss of passion in personal relationships and the loss of a positive body image as the ravages of time and abuse become glaringly obvious. The signs and symptoms signify menopause either as a disease or as a state of being.
