Male menopause?

Males have no equivalent of a female menopause. In women, changes start to occur sometime at the 4th decade of life and there is notable decline in sex hormones which results in a variety of physical and emotional changes. At this stage, women lose their capacity to have babies and they also start to develop bone thinning or osteoporosis. The protective effects of the sex hormones which were present prior to menopause now disappear and by the 6th decade of life women have the same risk of heart problems as men.

Unlike women, men do not have an abrupt decline in sex hormones. However, in men there is a gradual loss of hormones which starts sometime in the ¾ decade of life and continues for the next couple of decades. Men do develop depression, loss of libido, and sexual dysfunction and often these symptoms have been linked to loss of male hormones. The diagnosis of male menopause is also difficult; there is no correlation between between declining levels of testosterone and symptoms. In fact just as many men with low testosterone levels have no symptoms at all.

While there are many male hormones out on the market, their use in males is questionable and also associated with prescribing hassles. However, replenishment of males with testosterone has not always resulted in reversal of these symptoms. Most physicians do not readily prescribe androgens for fear of side effects. Finally, unregulated use of testosterone can worsen prostate cancer. For males who are going through andropause, the best recommendations are to eat a well balance diet, exercise, have an enjoyable sex life and stay healthy.