Hormones for Men
Lost your get up and go? It could be the result of male menopause.
Many people assume menopause is just a woman’s condition. However, it is not the case as men also suffer from menopause and the effects of changing hormones. Many men experience some of the same symptoms that women experience in perimenopause (meaning around menopause) and menopause, including low sex drive, hot flashes, depression, irritability, mood swings, increased body fat and decreased energy.
Male menopause, also known as andropause, is the result of a gradual decrease in testosterone. Testosterone is an androgen. Male menopause is not the same type of menopause that women go through. For this reason, doctors usually refer to “male menopause” as low testosterone, testosterone deficiency or androgen decline in the aging male.
Male menopause, or andropause, differs from female menopause, which occurs when the production of female hormones drops suddenly. Andropause is a gradual decline in hormone levels. The ovaries run out of the substance it needs to make testosterone. This does not happen with the testicles.
Testosterone levels in men gradually decline throughout the course of adulthood. This happens about 1 percent a year after the age of 30 on average. The loss of testosterone is rarely noticeable in men younger than 60. And by the time men reach their 80s, about half have low testosterone.