Male Menopause: The Effects of Dwindling Testosterone

Have you been moody lately? Or maybe you've lost interest in sex? Do you feel weak and tired a lot?

You might be thinking these questions are geared towards women, but if you are a male and experiencing these symptoms, you might be going through male menopause.

In recent years, we've started to learn that many men often experience some of the same type of symptoms women do as they reach their 40s to 50s. In men, it may be due to low testosterone.

I realize that a lot of men, and some doctors, don't like the term "male menopause." And I agree it doesn't describe the problem very well and probably discourages a lot of men from discussing their symptoms. After all, what male would want to have a condition that affects women?

Even though "menopause" includes the word "men," it actually means permanent cessation of the menses. So no matter how catchy the phrase "male menopause" might be, if you're not a woman, you can't go through menopause!

There's another reason why "male menopause" isn't a very useful term, and that's because it's misleading. The hormonal changes that are associated with menopause in women happen fairly quickly. Once the processes surrounding a woman's menopause are complete, there are no more menstrual periods and certain hormone levels are significantly and permanently changed. In men, the decrease in testosterone is usually gradual, happening over decades. There usually isn't one particular period of time when a man can say "I'm going through the change" -- or a time when he can say, "OK, that was it, my change of life is now over."

Despite what we call it, these changes in men do occur. Therefore, it might be useful to check a testosterone level, especially if you're having any of the following symptoms:

1. Reduced libido
2. Decreased erections
3. Development of breast tissue
4. Decreased body hair
5. Small or shrinking testes
6. Low sperm count
7. Decreased energy, loss of motivation, low initiative or low self-confidence
8. Depressed or "blue" mood
9. Poor concentration or problems with memory
10. Problems with sleep
11. Anemia (low red blood count)
12. A decrease in muscle strength or bulk
13. An increase in body fat
14. A decrease in performance at work or in physical tasks

There are some estimates that as many as 20 percent of men with erectile dysfunction have a testosterone deficiency. Medications like Viagra and Levitra don't work in those situations, and if you're currently taking those medicines and not having erections, it might be because of low testosterone.

It's important for me to note that low testosterone is not the only reason why you could have some of these symptoms I mentioned, but many doctors often overlook measuring testosterone. So you may need to bring it up and ask for it yourself.

And be sure to talk to your doctor about the time of day the test is done. Testosterone levels change over the course of the day, so experts often recommend checking testosterone in the morning to get the most consistent and appropriate measurement.

There's no magic cutoff point as to what's normal and what's not in terms of the levels. There's a very big range. But if you do have low testosterone or are on the low side of normal with symptoms, then the best way to see if testosterone works is to try it and see if symptoms improve.

If you and your doctor decide that you could benefit from testosterone supplementation, there are several options. There are testosterone patches, gels you rub into your skin, injections and there is even a sort of pill that you tuck up against your gums. Your doctor can help you decide which one is the best choice for your lifestyle.

The safety of long term testosterone supplementation isn't known. So just like with hormone replacement for women, we aim for the smallest dose for the shortest period of time. You'll also need some blood tests while you're on it to avoid any potentially harmful side effects. As with any medication, there are potential risks. The use of testosterone may increase the risk of prostate cancer, so be sure to have your doctor monitor your risk.

By the way, one reason not to use testosterone supplements is if you want to improve your fertility. Because of how testosterone works in the body, they'll actually have the opposite effect!

 

 

 

Comments

[Robert David Steele]

10:17 PM on 10/25/2010

Interesting. I think this overstates the internal individual body chemistry and understates the external couples chemistry that occurs in the late 50's if neither of the two partners have been focusing on personal fitness. As it happens, I wrote a memorandum on menopause over a decade ago, mostly to try to understand what was going to define my wife's next ten years, and am very pleased that it comes up as the top item when searching for on Google. The more I focus on health as an analytic challenge, the more I see it is never about just the individual or just the environment or just ignorance of natural cures or just corruption in surgical and pharmaceutical remediation--it's all of the above. The current laws and regulations of the federal government on health and food and energy and even family are TOXIC, and I am looking forward to seeing how this new HEALTH section addresses the totality of our challenges.

[jgarma]

08:34 PM on 10/25/2010

Be careful with testosterone supplementation. Need to get blood work every 6 months so you don't overdo it.

Also, some of the testosterone can be converted to estrogen. Supplements like Chrysin and IC3 can help prevent. Check out these resources for more info:

http://www.mensfitness.co.uk/exercise/exercise_tips/1905/10_ways_to_boost_testosterone.html
http://www.lef.org/protocols/male_reproductive/male_hormone_restoration_01.htm

[Suzie Heumann]

04:40 PM on 10/25/2010

Thank you for this article. All very true. I particularly like that you have called for a name change to 'male menopause'!
For the sexual changes that go on during aging there are a few organic things that can be done to 'work with' these changes. (Ok HuffPo staff - hope these get by you! grin)
- Testosterone levels are highest in the morning in men (maybe in women too). Plan your lovemaking then, especially on weekends when there's more time to devote.
- Don't be afraid of soft-ons. Go for it anyway with no preconceptions and see what happens.
- Start doing PC muscle exercises now, even if you are younger. These are the Kegel exercises that are given to women but they're for men too. Really help (with other sexual problems too)!
- Use a soft, flexible medical-grade band (made exactly for this reason) to prevent blood loss in erections.
- Learning a few easy breathing techniques will help you concentrate your mind and build up the blood in your extremities.
There are other things you can do too. Remembering that we have to change to get the full benefits of our wonderful aging years may be key to helping get the most from life. Change happens throughout life we just have more energy for it when we're younger. Adjusting can bring wonderful new treasures to life. Just think about it. You can now learn all about those things that you never really took the time to learn.

[Marnie1]

10:27 AM on 10/25/2010

"Debunking the male menopause myth
The term "male menopause" is sometimes used to describe decreasing testosterone levels related to aging. Female menopause and so-called male menopause are two different situations, however.
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/male-menopause/MC00058"

Men do not have menses and therefore cannot have the cessation of menses.

Since men do not have monthly cycles, produce ova, have internal fertilization, don't have periods, cannot have a placenta, or a fetus, lactate etc, they cannot cease to have what they never had in the first place.

Ant it is insulting to women who have to deal with things like bleeding, and cramps and risks of unwanted pregnancy, infections, multiple sources of cancers, miscarriages, infections, eclampsia, breach births, Toxic Shock Disease, and even death, etc, to claim that they do.

[randy of the netses]

01:31 PM on 10/26/2010

I knew, when I started reading the comments on this artcle, that someone would be insulted by them calling it "male menopause". Seriously?