Women aren’t the only ones who suffer from the effects of hormonal changes. Most doctors have confirmed that many men are reporting similar symptoms to the ones women experience in menopause or peri-menopause.
The medical community is still debating on if it’s right to conclude that men indeed go through a distinct menopause stage.
Doctors have reported that men who are placed on hormone therapy with testosterone have shown significant improvement from the symptoms associated with the believed men menopause.
What is Male Menopause?
It is still inconclusive whether men go through a well-defined menopause stage; hence doctors refer to it as “androgen”—a condition of low testosterone in aging men.
It is exceptionally healthy for men to go through a decline in testosterone production as they age, but this condition can also occur due to some health conditions like diabetes.
Not all men go through menopause, and it usually doesn’t involve the total shutdown of your reproductive organs, but it can lead to sexual complications.
Along with a decrease in testosterone production, men go through some symptoms as they age:
- Weakness
- Depression
- Fatigue
- Sexual problems like loss of sex drive
- Erectile dysfunction
- Insomnia
- Increased body fat
- Loss of muscle mass and difficulty in doing exercises
- Lack of energy and enthusiasm
- Short-term memory
- Gynaecomastia – abnormal growth of breast
- Lower frequency of morning erections
These symptoms tend to interfere with your everyday life and activities, so it’s important to discover the underlying cause and work towards resolving it.
The symptoms related to male menopause are often as a result of psychological factors. For instance, erectile dysfunction, and mood swings can be a result of depression, anxiety and stress.
There are also physical causes of erectile dysfunction, such as alteration in the blood vessels and psychological reasons.
If lifestyle and psychological factors are not responsible for the symptoms of “male menopause,” then it’s a case of late-onset hypogonadism.
Male menopause is often associated with late-onset hypogonadism because they both involve a decrease in production levels and similar symptoms.
Testosterone does more than just develop your physical looks; it also fuels your mental and physical health, boosts your sex drive, maintains muscle mass, and regulates key evolutionary features in the body.
Late-Onset Hypogonadism
Hypogonadism is a condition that can sometimes be present from birth, and it can lead to small testes and delayed puberty.
Sometimes hypogonadism can develop later in life as a result of some health conditions like type2 diabetes or even obesity. This is termed as late-onset hypogonadism and can cause male menopause symptoms.
Unlike menopause in women, the process of a decrease in testosterone production is a gradual one, until it stops completely. The testes do not run out of the substance it needs for testosterone production; it only just reduces. A healthy man would be able to produce healthy sperms, even up to his 80s.
But as a result of certain health conditions, subtle changes that occur can affect the functionality of the testes in men who are in their 45 to 50s and more severely after the age of 70.
Low levels of testosterone associated with male menopause have been linked to osteoporosis, which results in weakened and brittle bones. These are rare symptoms, but they affect men who are entering menopause.
Causes of Male Menopause
Once a man gets to the age of 30, his testosterone level gradually begins to drop at an average of one percent every year.
However, doctors are yet to accept that the normal-decline in testosterone level due to aging is the central cause of menopausal symptoms in men. If it were indeed related, every man would go through the male menopause stage, which is not the case.
Male menopause is complex, and the symptoms vary based on individuals. While menopause symptoms tend to occur in older men, it also occurs in those who have health conditions like high blood pressure, obesity and heart disease. This implies that hormonal change is not the sole cause of men menopause.
Other factors can contribute to male menopause, including underlying health conditions, such as:
- Smoking
- Lack of exercise
- Lack of proper sleep
- Excess alcohol consumption
Some men go through a phase termed “mid-life crisis,” in which they become bothered about their professional and personal life, and the milestones they are yet to achieve.
This can result in severe depression, which would lead to the triggering of factors that can cause physical symptoms of ADAM – Androgen Deficiency in Aging Men.
How is Male Menopause Diagnosed?
To get an accurate diagnosis, a doctor has to:
- Conduct a physical test
- Ask about ongoing symptoms or a history of health conditions.
- Order tests that can rule out other medical issues that might be underlying causes to the condition
- Order blood tests, and this may include checking testosterone levels.
What is The Duration for Male Menopause?
Since the male menopause is not well-defined, this answer can be complicated. According to a series of research, the effects of male menopause can last about 15 to 20 years or more, until the body fully adjusts to lower testosterone production.
However, the testosterone production continues to drop, and many argue that if left untreated, male menopause can last a lifetime.
Some men may not notice any of these symptoms at all; others who experience a more rapid loss of testosterone are more likely to feel almost all the signs.
Can Male Menopause Be Treated?
Men who experience any symptom would be treated according to that since the male menopause has no distinct definition.
Men who are obese would receive therapy on weight-management, and tips to shed off excess fat. In most cases, they may need to adjust their diet to a well balanced and nutritious one.
Male menopause, however, also translates to low testosterone levels. And if your testosterone level is low, testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) can be used to treat symptoms like:
- Depression
- Fatigue
- Decreased sex drive (libido)
Testosterone therapy treatment has potential side effects and risks, and it can even worsen some medical conditions. TRT may worsen prostate cancer and increase your risk of developing heart disease, even if you are healthy. It can also aggravate sleep apnea and epilepsy.
If you are considering opting for androgen replacement therapy, you might want to consult a doctor who is knowledgeable in this aspect, so that you can learn more.
Your doctor may also recommend certain lifestyle changes that can help relieve some symptoms associated with male menopause. These include:
- Frequent exercising
- Medications, such as antidepressant
- Eating healthy diets at all times.
People who have cardiovascular disease and diabetes would require treatment for the underlying condition. Managing blood glucose levels is one of the many ways to control and reduce symptoms.
Doctors usually carry out a detailed check-up on noticeable symptoms such as erectile dysfunction and fatigue to detect any condition that indicates cardiovascular disease.
They can sometimes prescribe antidepressants for individuals who have depression or anxiety issues, and in some cases even refer them to a psychiatrist or psychologist.
Natural Ways to Boost Testosterone Levels
DHEA (Dehydroepiandrosterone)
Just like testosterone, DHEA is naturally found in the adrenal glands. Combining it with zinc and vitamin D supplements can significantly raise your testosterone levels.
DHEA converts to testosterone, and it converts even estrogen to testosterone. Additionally, DHEA is known t reduce the effects of aging, which is also related to a decline in testosterone levels.
Zinc
When you are zinc deficient, it can cause a decline in baseline testosterone levels. However, you should also understand that the more zinc you consume doesn’t directly have a role in boosting testosterone levels.
Too much intake of zinc would result in the inability of your body to absorb other minerals like copper properly.
However, when you combine zinc, vitamin B6 and magnesium in the right doses, your body can start to convert free cholesterol into testosterone efficiently properly, that’s because of magnesium and vitamin B6 aid in zinc absorption.
The Luteinizing Hormone is responsible for triggering the testicular Leydig cells, which convert cholesterol into testosterone.
Vitamin D
Vitamin D is essential in the production of testosterone. Studies have shown that low intake of vitamin D would result in low testosterone levels.
The testes have vitamin D receptors; this firmly backs up the notion that vitamin plays a role in testosterone production. Same with zinc, only a deficiency in vitamin D would result in a decline in testosterone levels.
To boost your testosterone levels, an adequate amount of UV light from the sun is needed, or supplementation would help boost your T levels to the optimum.
Exercising
This is perhaps the easiest and fastest way to boost testosterone levels. With modern advancement, there is enough evidence to suggest that intermittent fasting, coupled with high-intensity exercises, may work faster in increasing testosterone levels by increasing certain hormones. Insulin and leptin are both known to increase libido and aid testosterone production.
Intense exercises help to induce weight loss faster than low or moderate activities will because it causes increased rapid rate and metabolic rate.
Obesity is well known to reduce testosterone levels, so it’s essential that incorporating it into your lifestyle is important if you wish to boost your testosterone levels.
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