Male Menopause Symptoms

Most people are probably familiar with the term menopause which is a natural condition that biologically affects women when they reach a certain age. However, men are not spared from biological occurrences too. Like women, men have also their menopausal stage. This male menopause condition is known as the andropause. Learn all about andropause and male menopause symptoms in this article.

Andropause is a stage in man's life when there is a noticeable natural declination in hormones. Some experts defined it as the natural cessation of sexual function in older men. This usually occurs at the late 40's or early 50's.

Androgens are hormones that initiate the production of sperm in males and are helpful in determining the male sex of the fetus. It also controls the sex drive and potency in males at maturity. The decrease in the production of the male hormones leads to the condition of andropause. The declination of hormonal production extends until the eighties. During this period, several physical, emotional, psychological and behavioral symptoms may manifest because of the low testosterone level.

Some men report male menopause symptoms such as low sex drive, general tiredness, moodiness, hot flashes, night sweats and sometimes heart palpitations. Symptoms of night sweats and heart palpitations occur as a response to the falling testosterone levels in the body.

The testosterone level of a young man at the age of 15-30 is 1000ng/dl. When one reaches the andopausal stage, an alarming drop of up to 800ng/dl causes the many unpleasant situations in his life. Fortunately, the hormone declines in men are more gradual compared to women's menopause. That is why andropause is medically termed as A.D.A.M or Androgen Decline in Aging Males.

Symptoms of male menopause

Like women's menopause, andropause in men are also characterized by many different symptoms. The male menopause symptoms may include: low energy and virility, low sex drive / libido decreased with age, general tiredness, fatigue, hot flashes, night sweats, heart palpitations / irregular heartbeat, erectile dysfunction, poor memory associated with the aging process and hypogonadism (a condition where the body does not produce adequate amounts of sex hormone / testosterone deficiency).

There are also some emotional symptoms of male menopause that maybe experienced including: the awkward feeling of confusion, moodiness, nervous, irritable and depressed; split personality; stressfulness; lose sense of purpose; craving for the new order of things or more ventures, spinning out of control and feeling of inability to support his family as well as to manage complex business.

Pass observations showed that the decrease of testosterone makes andropausal men likely to be more in touch with their feminine side and makes them gentler and more domesticated. These changes include:
Becoming more involved in domestic issues which they use to ignore.
They are more attentive to their roles at home such as cooking, house keeping and bonding with their children.
They devote much time now for the family and pleasure rather than their business roles.
They tend to become more conservative and less of a risk taker. Fear can easily stun them. While some men fear death, most andropausal men fear to be too dependent.

On the mental side, judgment becomes less sharp than they used to be during a man's early age. He loses his accuracy and sharp mind. On some cases, there are reports of poor memory which can lead to dementia.

As the man reaches the age of 50, those male menopause symptoms become more visible and provoked. The cause of heart palpitations is the falling of the testosterone level due to over reaction of the autonomic system. Andropause symptoms vary from one person to another depends on the health condition. But erectile dysfunction is considered the most important symptom of andropause. Excess alcohol intake, stress, overweight, vasectomy and lack of exercise will worsen these symptoms.

Moreover, changes in their lives such as reordering life, career change, or divorce also happens. These events bring physiological and psychological changes which can later on lead to symptoms of male depression.

As been said, andropause brings changes in men both physically and psychologically. Therefore, men should handle issues and changes carefully because these can cause stress. If stress is not successfully managed then symptoms of male depression might take place. There are six strategies one can follow to successfully pass the andropause stage.

1. Learn to reward and love yourself and others.
2. Control and organize yourself.
3. Exercise regularly.
4. Have good relaxation and rest periods.
5. Choose healthy diet.
6. Enjoy the andropause and aging stage.

Asking for the advice of a doctor will certainly help to relieve symptoms of male menopause. Now, treatment for moodiness, heart palpitations, hot flashes, night sweats and erectile dysfunction or impotence is easily accessible. There are creams, pellets, pills and even surgeries that are deemed to resolve the crisis.

The problem is that most men do not submit to seeing a doctor even for health reasons since it hits their masculine pride to be thought of as either vulnerable or dependent. The wives can convince men to see the doctor by accompanying him to a trained and understanding expert. By going together, the doctor can fully extract the needed information from the couple.

When men who experience male menopause symptoms – such as heart palpitations, hot flashes, night sweats, poor memory, low energy, low sex drive, moodiness, etc. - visit their doctor, the following things will be checked as part of the clinical study and basis:

• Loss of hair in the armpits and axilla
• Decrease of libido and low sex drive
• Erectile dysfunction or impotence
• Shrinkage of testicles
• Decreased muscle strength
• Depression
• Constant fatigue or tiredness
• Low sperm count
• Decreased bone density
• Exhaustion
• Oligospermia

Another treatment method to reduce the effects of andropause is TRT or the testosterone replacement therapy for men. This treatment showed promising results in effectively relieving symptoms of heart palpitations, hot flashes, night sweats, poor memory, low energy and moodiness. Adding to that, it also restores health, sex drive, and potency. Testosterone replacement therapy for men will also include a sense of renewed vitality and virility when it is given to the right patient, at the right time and at the right doses.

Andropause is another profound journey which needs the positive involvement of the family. It is inevitable and will affect men and may cause various male menopause symptoms as they reach a certain age so be positive about it and concentrate on acquired blessings rather than being depressed.