Andropause male menopause. Truth or fiction?

Did you think that menopause is what awaits women when they reach the age of 50? Unfortunately, men also go through this. But, unlike menopause, which is associated with female reproductive function, andropause affects male sexual function.

What is andropause

The word andropause was formed by combining two Greek words andro (man) and pause (stop). Men who suffer from it may well feel that their masculinity has indeed diminished.

So, male "menopause" or andropause really exists. Although this is not usually discussed or even acknowledged among men, they experience a decrease in hormone levels, just like women, and may feel similar unpleasant symptoms.

Although practitioners have been studying andropause since the 1940s, many men still deny its existence. However, it is becoming more and more widely accepted in the scientific world to describe what really happens in the stronger sex with age. Jed Diamond, California-based psychotherapist and author of Male menopause, describes it as "puberty in reverse" because, like puberty, andropause causes "hormonal, psychological, interpersonal, social, sexual, and spiritual changes in the aging men in the same way as adolescent boys.

When occurs

The problems of menopause in women begin when estrogen levels drop, and in men the same thing happens, only they have testosterone levels. Andropause is caused by a deficiency of the male hormone.

In youth and maturity, testosterone levels in men increase, but then, after 30-40 years, for some earlier, for some later, it begins to decline by about 1 percent per year. Most men will begin to experience some or many of the symptoms of sexual decline at some point as they age. However, in recent times, due to increased levels of stress at work, environmental pollution and poor nutrition, age and percentages are shifting, so an earlier andropause is possible.

Symptoms

Male menopause should be taken as seriously as women's, as it can cause sexual, physical, and psychological problems that usually get worse with age.

Let's list the symptoms:

• erectile dysfunction
• lack of energy
• loss or decrease in muscle mass, resulting in a feeling of weakness
• decreased motivation
• more frequent urination, especially at night
• decreased libido
• depression
• tiredness
• difficulty concentrating
• insomnia or trouble sleeping
• weak, falling hair
• female breast development
• reduced testicles
• increased body fat
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• rare but occasional hot flashes
• osteoporosis, which can be caused by decreased bone density

Andropause and erectile dysfunction

A study conducted in 2003 by Dr. A. Fest from Canada showed that 44% of men aged 30 to 70 have erectile dysfunction, 8% of them are severe and 36% are moderate.

Scientists have found that the incidence of erectile dysfunction increases with the age of men: from 38.5% for patients aged 31-40 to 64% for the older age group (61-79 years).

It is of social significance that most of them deny the existence of the andropause. 39 percent consider it a myth, and another 24 percent attribute it to various non-scientific reasons, of which they most often see the reason in their wives. They use this excuse to seek out younger partners only to find that the problem has not gone away. Some men are ready to give up sex altogether, not realizing that the andropause has a physiological basis that prevents them from seeking appropriate medical help.

The role of testosterone

Testosterone is a hormone that stimulates puberty in young men, a surge of mental and physical energy, muscle growth, aggressive behavior, sexual desire and libido and many other male sexual characteristics. All of them are based on testosterone.

Andropause is caused by changes in hormone levels in men, which gradually decrease with age. Andropause is characterized by the loss of testosterone, which makes men behave like men.

As soon as the level of testosterone in the body drops, the same thing happens with the male libido. Many men refuse to acknowledge andropause because it makes them feel less "masculine". Calmly accepting the inevitable is one of the keys to dignified acceptance of this natural physiological phenomenon.Maintaining a normal weight, more exercise, less sugar, self-care and natural supplements will help.

The rate of testosterone decline varies from man to man and occurs gradually: as mentioned above, the level drops by about 10 percent every ten years. At the same time, another hormone in the body called Sex Binding Hormone Globulin or SBHG traps most of the testosterone that is still circulating in the system and makes it unavailable to body tissues to make them function properly.

The testosterone that is left behind for tissues to function properly is called "bioavailable testosterone levels". Every man experiences a decline in bioavailable testosterone, but some drop lower than others. Experts estimate that in 30 percent of men by the age of 50, testosterone levels are already low enough to cause symptoms of andropause.

It is important to understand that testosterone is only one of the hormones that form the androgen "panel". According to the World Health Organization, total androgen levels, not just testosterone, also affect andropause, as all hormones decline with age. A WHO study showed that androgen levels in men aged 70 are only 10 percent of those of 25-year-olds. For this reason, some describe andropause as a state of "androgen deficiency in the aging male".

How to push back the andropause

Unlike women, men do not have a clear indicator, such as the cessation of menstruation, that would tell them that they are in andropause. Instead, there is a gradual and painful decline in their sexuality and overall energy.

Loss of sex drive is just one of the problems of andropause, there are many other complications, both physical and mental.

The good news is that the process of aging and approaching andropause can be slowed down by how and what we eat and what lifestyle we lead. So, food that causes allergies leads to stress in the stomach and adrenal glands and provokes the development of andropause. The condition can also be accelerated by stress on the gallbladder.

Supplements such as Tongkat Ali reduce the effects of aging on the male reproductive system by increasing the bioavailability of the body's own free testosterone. They boost energy and support healthy male hormone levels, vitality, sex drive and healthy circulation.