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Men too go through menopause
What you need to know:
- Unlike menopause in women, when hormone production stops completely, testosterone decline in men is a slower process. However, as a result of disease, subtle changes in the function of the testes may occur as early as age 45 to 50.
Aging causes several changes to the body and affects men and women differently. For instance, men experience greying hair, decreased muscles, low libido and with time, a decline in the level of the male hormone testosterone.
Testosterone is responsible for regulating a man’s sex drive, sperm production, and muscle mass. It also plays a role in maintaining bone density and red blood cell production.
Although the decline in this hormone is a natural and gradual process, a number of men are distressed by it and end up with broken relationships if they do not know what is happening.
When the legendary Erasto Male separated with three spouses in a year, one of his elderly friends advised him to see a marriage counsellor. At 68, he had seen it all but the puzzle was why his love relationships, ordinarily called marriages, could not last yet the women he had were relatively younger than he was.
At that age, he felt that he should be advising younger couples about marriage but instead, he was the one in need of advice. This was so embarrassing to him so he chose to visit a doctor rather than a counsellor especially since the days of his active sexual life could have long gone by.
Ordinarily, women have been known to undergo menopause when they stop getting their period and thereafter, develop hot flashes, night sweats, mood swings and headaches. Lack of sleep, vaginal dryness, urinary problems, fatigue, and decreased libido are also common.
Today, men are also emerging as likely candidates of the same symptoms in what is referred to as andropause, which is caused by a decline in testosterone according to Dr Vincent Karuhanga, a general physician at Friends Poly Clinic.
To women, menopause follows lack of eggs to ovulate and declining female hormone oestrogen and thus they go through a well-defined period of lack of menstruation in an adult woman who is not pregnant.
Men on the other hand go through a progressive decline in the male hormone testosterone, and it may be difficult to tell that an aging man has definitely reached male menopause.
“The testes, unlike the ovaries, do not all of a sudden stop producing the male hormone or sperms. A healthy male is able to make sperm even when they are 80 years or older,” Dr Karuhanga says.
Other factors
There are other factors in life that may bring about symptoms that resemble andropause in men. Dr Karuhanga says, diseases such as diabetes and stress that give the same symptoms of depression, mood swings, fatigue and sexual problems occur more commonly at this time.
A man with erectile dysfunction is likely to suffer low self-esteem and stress. It is true that a man may be thought to be undergoing andropause yet, one is just stressed due to changes in their lifestyle, say after retirement.
“Retirement digs a deep hole in ones future expectations with the stress then leading to among other effects, erectile problems stimulated during male menopause,” Dr Karuhanga adds.
Midlife crisis
Midlife crisis, experienced between the ages of 40 and 60 may also be at play, which may be a normal part of the maturing process and may result in emotional distress.
Most men pass through the andropause process without problems but for others, life can be uncomfortable leading to depression, mood swings and sexual problems, which on their own can make a woman dissatisfied and irritated.
Sometimes, marriages end since the man may become resentful and have doubts about ever loving his wife. This may partly explain why Male’s love relationships could not last.
What can be done?
Oftentimes, such men need psychiatric evaluation among other interventions to get to the root cause of the problem. If one is found to be of sound mind, a test of his levels of the male hormone, testosterone is done.
“If a man has low testosterone levels, accompanied with sexual problems including impotence, has a sweaty upper body, mood swings, lack of sleep, then, he is in his andropause stage,” says Dr Karuhanga.
Usually, testosterone replacement therapy is one of the treatment options recommended in male menopause and may help relieve such symptoms as loss of interest in sex, depression, and fatigue.
But, as with hormone replacement in women, testosterone replacement therapy has some potential risks and side effects. Replacing testosterone is known to worsen prostate cancer risks.
Do I need hormone replacement therapy?
Your doctor may also order a blood test to measure your testosterone levels.
If the results suggest you have a testosterone deficiency, you may be referred to an endocrinologist, a specialist in hormone problems.
If the specialist confirms this diagnosis, you may be offered testosterone replacement to correct the hormone deficiency, which should relieve your symptoms.
This treatment may be either tablets, patches, gels, implants or injections.
Lifestyle changes
The best recommendation, according to Dr Karuhanga, is a lifestyle change. This includes a balanced diet plan limiting fat, sugar and salt intake. Also, a suitable exercise programme helps in lessening depression and mood swings but once this fails, one will need medication such as antidepressants to help relieve some of the symptoms of male menopause.
