Male Menopause

Basic Information

Male menopause refers to the physiological, hormonal and chemical changes that happen in most men by the time they reach the age of fifty-five. It is also called "viropause" and "andropause".

The main hormone behind a man's sexual nature is testosterone. This hormone is responsible for sexual gland development in the male infant, bone and muscle formation in adult males, and sexual drive in adult males. It is continuously produced in the male body throughout life, and released into the bloodstream. As a male reaches puberty, the levels of testosterone that are secreted into the blood are greatly increased. This high level of testosterone in the blood is maintained until the man's body begins to change around the age of forty.

During this change in a man's body chemistry, the level of testosterone that the body circulates in the bloodstream is greatly reduced. In fact, by the time most men reach the age of eighty, their hormonal balance is similar to that of a pre-pubescent boy. This change in body chemistry can significantly alter a man's sexual drive, activities and disposition. For instance, older men often need more direct stimulation to the penis in order to get an erection. At the same time, with advancing age, ejaculations get weaker and the refractory period (the time in between erections) takes longer.

Medical practitioners have long debated the credibility of "male menopause". The medical field has mostly associated menopause with women, holding the fact that most men can reproduce throughout their entire life against the idea that any real kind of "male menopause" actually takes place. Because no clear time of onset occurs for male menopause (whereas for women there is the cessation of menstruation which marks the time a woman becomes unable to reproduce), most doctors in the past felt that male menopause is simply a vague concept for something that is biologically non-existent. However, in recent years, the idea of male menopause has increasingly gained acceptance. This is because valid scientific studies have proved that the physical and psychobehavioral changes that occur during a man's middle years (a time that is often characterized as a "mid-life crisis") are accompanied by significant shifts in the man's hormonal levels.

Types of Male Menopause

Currently, many medical practitioners accept that there are two types of male menopause. The first type is associated with a rapid reduction of testosterone levels in the bloodstream. In its sudden onset, this type is similar to female menopause. This type of acute male menopause is relatively uncommon. Potential causes include:

Viral infection
Surgery that involves the male reproductive system
Diseases when the immune system mistakenly attackes the reproductive system
Genetic abnormalities involving the reproductive system
Chemotherapy
Pituitary tumor
Diabetes
Some diseases caused by heavy smoking

The second type of male menopause is characterized by a gradual reduction of hormonal levels in the bloodstream. The hormonal reduction can occur at a rate of just one percent every year. Because the reduction rate is so slow, it may take years before the man notices the effects of the onset of male menopause. The hormones that drop include testosterone, pituitary gland human growth hormone, DHEA and androstenedione. The gradual drop typically begins sometime after a man reaches the age of sixty, but there are instances of the decline occuring much earlier.

Symptoms of Male Menopause

The symptoms of male menopause are similar to those experienced by women during menopause. The difference between male menopause and female menopause is that the former does not noticeably effect all men, while the latter does effect all women. Studies estimate that approximately 40 percent of men between the ages of 40 and 65 experience biological and emotional changes that can be attributed to the onset of male menopause. These symptoms include:

Decreased levels of certain male hormones in the body
Decrease in sex drive
Emotional unstability, mood swings
Increased irritability
Insomnia
Depression
Lethargy
Decrease in endurance
Decreased sexual performance
Difficulty in both getting and sustaining erections
Loss of both body mass and bone mass

Causes of Male Menopause

The causes of male menopause have not been thoroughly investigated. However, most medical professionals attribute the onset of male menopause to any health problem or lifestyle activity that results in the reduction of testosterone levels in the body. For instance, conditions that can lead to male menopause include: lack of exercise, poor circulation, hypertension, excessive alcohol consumption, obesity, hormone deficiencies, impaired hypothalamic function, and prescription/non-prescription medications. At the same time, any activity that increases the level of estrogen in the body can contribute to the onset of male menopause. This is because increased estrogen levels compete with testosterone in the body and can offset the hormonal balance that results in optimal male health.

Diagnosis

Currently, the existence of male menopause is not accepted by the entire medical community. However, when a medical professional is aware of this condition, they will be able to diagnose it. The diagnosis of male menopause is very simple. All it requires is a test that measures the male hormonal levels in the body. If the level of testosterone is significantly lower than what is considered normal, then chances are that the man is experiencing some degree of male menopause.

Treatment of Male Menopause

Because the existence of male menopause is not entirely accepted, it can be difficult to adequately treat a man that is suffering from this condition. In the coming years, it will be very important for this condition to become more widely accepted so that men will be encouraged to receive treatment before significant damage occurs to their bodies, to their work lives and to their family relations. At the same time, in order for men to successfully adapt to the psycho-physical changes that occur late in life, it is important for them to be able to accept that male menopause is a biological process and not a sign of physical inferiority. In fact, as long as older men continue to associate their loss of sexual performance with something that is "wrong with them" rather than something "that happens with age", they will only increase the adverse psychological effects of this biological process. There is some evidence that shows that the depressive condition known as a "mid-life crisis" is a direct result of a man being unable to psychologically adapt to the biological changes that occur when hormonal levels drop later on in life.

p>The treatment of male menopause consists of two potential approaches. The first approach is to help the man psychologically adjust to the changes in his body. One way to do this is to encourage the man to realize that the shifts that are happening in his body are a part of life, and not an indicator that he is sexually or physically weak. According to this treatment technique, the affected man simply needs a perspective change. Rather than seeing the effects of male menopause as a signal that their life is deteriorating, men can view the onset of male menopausal symptoms as the marker of a new phase in their life. It is a phase that invites men to examine their lives and prepare for their journey through "Old Age".

Some of the changes that may occur during this shift include:

A removal of the pressure to always be able to sexually perform, and an increase in a man's ability to simply enjoy the company of his partner
A focus that is more on being and less on achieving
A change from a career that is based on necessity to a calling that is based on soul-work
A time to learn how to be a respected community leader
A time to end competition between the sexes and find intimacy, joy and passion in your life-partner
Be a trail-blazer as someone who is experiencing a life well-lived well into the Golden Years

The second treatment approach involves medical therapy. According to this approach, male menopause can be viewed as a treatable endocrine disfunction, similar to a thyroid disease or diabetes. Medical professionals that subscribe to this approach claim that the problems associated with male menopause can be treated through hormone replacement therapy. This type of therapy involves artificially bringing up the level of testosterone in older men. It should only be done under the supervision of responsible physicians. Testosterone is available in many forms: oral, injection, trans-dermal and implant. The oral route is typically advised against because it can lead to liver damage. While the injectable form of testosterone is safe, it does not consistently integrate into the blood, and any leftover testosterone can convert into estrogen. The choice of testosterone form generally depends upon socioeconomic ability, availability and safety.

At the same time, this type of therapy is very controversial for a few reasons. For one, there are many potential adverse effects of hormonal replacement. These include putting the person at a higher risk of getting a disease. By the age 50, many men have atypical cell growths in their prostate. Many urologists are concerned about hormonal replacement therapy because they believe increased testosterone levels can activate these cellular abnormalities and lead to prostate cancer. Other problems that are associated with artificial hormonal production include heart disease, liver disease and testicular dysfunction.

Also, some people claim that altering a man's body chemistry in later life disturbs biological changes that are "a part of life". It is also important to realize that while a testosterone increase may improve a man's sense of emotional well-being, it will not necessarily improve sexual performance. This type of therapy has not been proven to have any effect on impotence.

Finally, other lifestyle methods that can help a man to deal with male menopause include the following:

Find ways to relieve stress
Eat a nutricious, low-fat high-fiber diet
Get plenty of rest
Exercise often
Find a support network
Limit your consumption of alcohol and caffeine
Drink plenty of water

Conclusion

Male menopause does exist. It is a hormonal condition that affects all men over the age of forty, with varying intensity. The onset of this condition is typically gradual, in contrast to the form of menopause that affects women. Although this biologically-based condition is not the same thing as a mid-life crisis (which is a psychological problem), the two can co-exist. At the same time, there is some evidence that a man's inability to adjust to male menopause can worsen the psychological effects of a mid-life crisis.

There is currently a large debate in the scientific community regarding the merits of hormone replacement therapy.