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Andropause
In this article:
- The male equivalent of female menopause
- Symptoms of andropause
Andropause is the male equivalent of the female menopause,and is very real, although more subbtle than menopause. In women, estrogen levels decline abruptly after menaopause. With men, there is a gradual decline in androgens (male sex hormones), usually strting in the 40's. Along with the decline in androgens, is a rise in SHBG (sex hormone binding globulin), which are proteins that bind to testosterone that limit the amount and effectiveness of this hormone as men age. As with the age-related decline of human growth hormone (hGH), the loss of testosterone contributes to the familiar "pot belly" and declining muscle tone in middle-aged men.
The symptoms of the male menopause include a waning interest in sex, difficulty in having and maintaining an erection, and decreased sexual satisfaction, as well as fatigue, depression, irritability, aches and pains, and stiffness. Until recently, these changes were simply accepted as "growing old." As men grow older, they often suffer from the dual effects of having too little testosterone and too much estrogen, resulting in a testosterone/estrogen imbalance that directly causes many of the debilitating health and performance problems associated with what has been called "normal" aging. As a matter of fact, as men age, testosterone is increasingly converted to estrogen. One report showed that the estrogen levels of the average 54 y/o man are higher than those of the average 59 y/o woman.
Supplementing testosterone can result in lower levels of cholesterol, glucose, triglycerides, reductions in blood pressure and decreased abdominal fat mass. Most patients also experience:
- increased sense of well-being
- increased libido
- more energy
- better focus and concentration
- fat loss and muscle gain in response to a workout program
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