Male Menopause: A Myth Or Reality?Male menopause is a frequently used term that refers to any noticeable physiological, chemical or hormonal changes experienced by men as they begin to age. These changes have a profound impact on the different aspect of their lives. The most pronounced being a general decline in their sexual performance. This is from where this condition derives its name as an equivalent of a female menopause - a condition that marks the end of the reproductive period in a woman's life. Compared to a female menopause, a male menopause is much less dramatic in the sense that it does not show symptoms such as hot flushes but it still shows certain gradual changes in terms of reduced production of the male sex hormones such as the testosterone. A general decrease in the androgen hormones may lead to conditions such as general weakness, fatigue, depression and a noticeable decline in the sexual performance of a man. Most of the manifestations of a male menopause appear in males over 40 years of age and the severity of the symptoms varies from person to person. In this context, it is not unusual for males in their 70s to have the same testosterone levels as males in their early 20s. This again brings us to the question whether male menopause really exists. In this context, it would be natural to compare the male menopause with the female menopause. While all the major physiological, chemical and hormonal changes associated with a female menopause are over in five years, a male menopause is a relatively slower and gradual process that is very difficult or hard to define in terms of time. The onset of a female menopause is easily characterized by a cessation of the menstruation cycle but a male menopause is associated with no such abrupt changes in the body. The male menopause is a continuous and subtle process that begins around the age of thirty and continues unabated. The most common indication of this process is a gradual decline in the production of testosterone hormone in the body. On an average, after the age of thirty, there is an annual one percent decline in the production of the male sex hormone called the testosterone. Thus we can say that the term 'male menopause' is commonly used to refer to the gradual age related physiological, chemical and hormonal changes in the males that are caused by a general decline in the androgen hormones primarily the testosterone and are commonly characterized by symptoms such as a decreased male libido, reduced muscular mass, increase in the body fat, reduced bone density, pronounced hair loss, reduced energy levels and a general rounding of the body. The term male menopause may be called a misnomer because unlike a female menopause, it is not associated with any radical changes in the body like cessation of the menstruation cycle but still, the effects of the male menopause are not insignificant either. Male menopause is a reality but its comparison to a female menopause can be easily called an exaggeration or overkill. |