While some doctors are claiming that men dealing with fatigue and a failing libido are going through male menopause, other doctors aren’t convinced. So which is it?
The fact is, male menopause also known as andropause is real – men who suffer from a low testosterone levels and/or low HGH levels as they age, can have mood swings, hot flushes, and lose their sex drive. One male (Ted) admits while he was watching a cute commercial on television involving puppies, found himself choked with emotion and bursting into tears. It left him wondering where the big tough guy he had always been had gone.
Ted is a married man, who works in sales. Ted say, “This is just not like me. I’m the outgoing guy – a little rough around the edges, and down to earth, but certainly not this emotional guy.”
He said he noticed when he turned 40 he started to suffer from depression, irritability, and mood swings. He began to become withdrawn (something he had never suffered), and he began to gain weight, especially around his mid section.
Ted also complained of joint pain and being constantly tired. He knew he had become difficult to live with (compared to being the cheery guy he once was), snapping at his family. His sex drive had all but disappeared, he had lost interest in all the things he used to enjoy, and he had terrible mood swings.
Ted went to his doctor a number of times. His doctor conducted tons of different tests, which showed nothing. His doctor prescribed antidepressants, but he found that just deadened him emotionally. He tried diets but that didn’t help. Then when he began to suffer night sweats and hot flashes, he began to really wonder what was happening to him.
It took two years for Ted to finally be diagnosed correctly with TDS or testosterone deficiency syndrome, otherwise known as male menopause.
TDS has two causes. It can be the result of the testicles not functioning normally, or the body’s hormone production being out of balance. Testosterone is always recognized for its role in a man’s sex drive, but it plays many other roles including maintaining healthy bones, muscle strength, mood, and energy. When a man has too little testosterone weight gain can occur, there can be a loss of facial and body hair, and joint pain can develop, along with hot flashes.
Doctors don’t really know why this happens. Andropause and low testosterone symptoms usually affect older men but it can happen at any age.
Studies
The University of Sheffield conducted a study that suggests 10% of men over the age of 50 are affected (in those with heart disease and type 2 diabetes, the rate is 17%) – some estimate that as many as 840,000 men in the UK suffer from it. Until even a few years ago, the idea of a male menopause was roundly dismissed, but increasingly experts believe significant numbers of men do experience a decline in hormones in their middle and later years.
A 2007 study conducted by the University of California’s San Diego School of Medicine – it found men with low levels of testosterone are more likely to die prematurely from all causes. This is, possibly, because low testosterone causes men to gain weight round their middle, which raises their chances of developing diabetes, in turn increasing cardiovascular risks.
The Misconception Behind Testosterone
There is a misconception that testosterone is just a sex hormone. Actually, it affects other organs. Research has shown that increasing testosterone can improve the body’s ability to take care of excess sugar, improve mood, better control diabetes, boost weight loss in the mid section, and provide heart benefits.
Male Menopause and Relationships
Mary Clegg, a sex and relationship counselor says, ‘Men with low testosterone aren’t the classic mid-life crisis cliché who rush out and buy a red sports car or run off with a younger woman – that’s about fear of virility rather than physiological changes. They are much more likely to retreat and hide themselves away, instead. Often their partners will suspect they are having affairs because they have stopped wanting sex and show them no affection – but they’re actually not interested in any women or anything much at all.’
Male Menopause Treatments
There are signs your testosterone is low, yet the latest figures reveal that few men in need of testosterone replacement receive hormone treatment for low testosterone. Doctors can treat with testosterone therapy, but another alternative if you believe you are suffering from male menopause is to take a HGH supplement.
HGH has many benefits, but one of those benefits is increasing the body’s production of HGH and therefore testosterone in the body. Many times this leads to an adequate increase in testosterone production without testosterone therapy.
I think that it’s safe to say that Ted is just like me. I feel the exact same way, always tired and achy, no energy to do anything. I’m considering trying a good hgh supplement, does anyone have one that they use and like?