What is Andropause? Simply put, it’s the male form of Menopause. (MANOPAUSE if you like)
Isn’t Menopause only for women I hear you say? Don’t the hot flashes, low libido and mood swings happen to women as they reach the end of their menstruation cycle and their body has to get used to new hormone levels? Well, yes, you’re right, but men can go through a similar experience, without the menstruation (obviously).
Many men experience the same symptoms as women who go through menopause but it’s just not talked about as much and not classified in the same way as menopause is. There are still differing opinions in the medical community as to whether it exists or not. The change takes place more gradually than in women so it can be confused for other health conditions, like anxiety, and is simply overlooked.
Andropause gets its name from merging the words Androgen and menopause. Androgens, are the male hormones responsible sexual desire and reproduction, primarily the male hormone testosterone. Symptoms experienced in Andropause relate directly to the levels of testosterone in the blood stream.
Have you ever wondered where the word menopause comes from? It comes from the Latin term menopausis – “meno” means “month” and “pausis” means “pause”. (This is contrary to some women’s interpretation of the word and belief that men cause all things connected with aggravation: men-opause, men-struation, men-tal illness etc….. joking, joking)
After the age of 40, men start to experience a decline in testosterone production. This is natural. Most men go through their middle age without noticing it too much as it doesn’t affect their day to day life. However, for some men, the symptoms can be just as severe as they are for women. When a man has low testosterone and experiences severe symptoms of testosterone deficiency then this is classed as late-onset hypogonadism, aka Andropause. These symptoms can include irrational moods, depression, anxiety, sleep disturbances, diminished muscle mass, fat distribution changes and sexual performance.
If you have been experiencing some of these symptoms then you could be suffering from Andropause. It’s thought that almost 40% of men over 40 years old suffer from Andropause but only 1% of men are actually treated for it.
We all know that men do not menstruate so why do these Andropause hormonal changes take place?
Causes include stress, alcohol, smoking, illness, chronic disease or trauma, reaction to prescription medications or drug abuse… in many cases, it’s simply a case of aging and reaching a new stage in life.
Andropause symptoms can be helped by taking testosterone replacement therapies like AndroForte cream. Having said this, many doctors will do a blood test and see that the testosterone level is on the low side but not low enough that it goes under the recognized limits. In this case, many doctors prescribe mild anti-depressants instead of treating the low testosterone. If you feel you are suffering from Andropause, talk to your doctor and try testosterone replacement therapy instead of heading straight for the mid-life crisis anti-depressants. If you don’t want to head straight for the doctor, then you can also take this quick low T test online to see if your worries are founded.
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