What is Male Menopause?
Women aren’t the only ones who suffer from the effects of fluctuating hormones. The ‘male menopause’ is said to occur when men begin to experience a gradual decline in the production of the male sex hormone, testosterone. It is not as abrupt or significantly felt as female menopause.
Some men experience the loss of sex drive, erectile dysfunction, fatigue or even depression. It may manifest as numerous physical and emotional symptoms, differing from man to man. These changes are usually developed when men reach their late 40s or early 50s. There is only a slight and gradual decrease in the hormone with age, and not all men experience it.
Symptoms for Not all men experience symptoms associated with male menopause, however, for those who do, symptoms can interfere with every day life. Commonly, these include;
- Hot flushes
- Mood swings
- Loss of muscle mass
- Fat redistribution - resulting in man boobs
- Tiredness
- Increased sweating
- Poor concentration and short-term memory
- Irritability
After 30, a man’s testosterone levels start to drop about 1% each year. However, that is not seen as the cause for male menopause, as not every man goes through male menopause. It tends to affect those with a heart disease, obesity hypertension diabetes etc.
Other factors causing male menopause include;
- Lifestyle or psychological problems
- Erectile Dysfunction, loss of libido and mood swings due to stress, depression or anxiety
- Lack of sleep
- Poor diet
- Drinking too much alcohol
- Smoking
- Low self-esteem
- Diabetes
Symptoms of male menopause can also be the result of hygonadism, where testes produce little or no hormones, which can cause delayed puberty and small testes.
To diagnose male menopause, your GP will ask about your personal life, see if the symptoms could be due to psychological worries or any other condition.
Blood tests may be ordered to confirm the diagnosis.
As men get older, everything slows down a bit and that may include the production of testosterone. If you feel that your libido and sexual prowess have gone, you have lost drive at work and in sport then it may be worth having your testosterone levels checked. We can provide the kits for home testing here and then prescribe testosterone supplements such as Testim or Testogel, online. Take the ‘T’ test to see if you might qualify!
We can offer testosterone replacement therapy in the form of tablets, to correct the deficiency.
