Hormonal issues which contribute to mood swings, Premenstrual Stress (PMS) and, ultimately, menopause are often linked to women throughout their various stages of development.
However recent reports have indicated that men do have their equivalent form of menopause, which has been termed as Andropause or, jokingly, man-o-pause. There are more technical terms that can be used to describe this condition, known as male climacteric, late onset hypogonadism and androgen decline in the aging male (ADAM)
The more commonly known menopause kicks in to mark the end of a woman’s child bearing years because ovaries halt the production of hormones which are responsible for reproduction.
In the instance of Andropause, there is slow and steady reduction of the ‘Macho man” hormone testosterone.
“Andropause is an emotional and physical change that many but not all men above the age of 40 experience,” said Dr Tuduetso Monageng, a general practitioner. “Andropause doesn’t happen to everyone, but if it does happen, it is not a sudden condition; it creeps up on you gradually. So, although it’s sometimes referred to as male menopause, it is quite different from what women experience, which is an abrupt change in hormone levels accompanying the end of the reproductive cycle.”
The symptoms that men experience due to this drop in testosterone, include fatigue, increased facial wrinkles, decreased sexual function, decreased lean body mass, muscle tone and strength, body hair and a decrease in bone mineral density, which may result in osteoporosis.
There are other emotional symptoms which are depression, insomnia, memory impairment, lethargy and the most common menopausal symptoms, experiencing hot flashes and sweating profusely.
Although Andropause can be perceived as an inevitable condition, there are measures that can be taken to diagnose the symptoms and there is treatment available for the sufferers.
Through a thorough physical exam and other diagnostic tests, other medical problems can be detected and dealt with and reduced testosterone levels can be detected through blood tests. When indeed there is a low testosterone level detected, the person maybe put on hormonal replacement therapy which is closely monitored since it can increase the chances of developing prostate cancer.
The reduction in testosterone production can also be triggered by other ailments like diabetes.
“As men become older, testosterone levels can decrease to such low levels that a condition known as hypogonadism results, which is defective sperm development which can render a man completely infertile,” said Monageng.
For treatment, he advices androgen replacement therapy in the form of gel or patches. She further stated that there is injectable testosterone, which she, however, described as “Painful and inconvenient”.
She stated that sometimes this form of therapy does not help and a patient needs to be tested for other ailments, like depression and erectile dysfunction.
An average male produces the highest level of testosterone between the ages between 15 and 18 and starts to decline at 20. Andropause can kick in anytime between the ages of 45 to 50 and becomes more dramatic between the ages of 60 and 70.
