Male what?

Posted by Liz on Jun 21, 2008 in Uncategorized | 0 comments

photo credit: Phil Dente

There’s a misnomer going around (can a misnomer go around?). It’s called “male menopause.” Now mind you, I’ve got no beef with da guyz but to call a gradual decline in testosterone “menopause,” seems a bit extreme. So, what’s the buzz about?

According to the Mayo Clinic, menopause and “andropause” are two, distinct animals. During menopause, women undergo a cessation of menstruation and a rapid plummet in hormone production. On the other hand, men experience gradual declines in testosterone production after age 40. However, some men continue to produce high levels of testosterone well into their older years. What’s more, the problem does not appear to be universal; symptoms of testosterone decline, which may include reduced sexual desire and spontaneous erection, swollen breasts, a loss of hair from the body and around the genitals, loss of muscle mass, depression, and rarely, hot flashes and sweats vary from man to man and some men never experience any symptoms whatsoever.

The medical community is not only in disagreement over “male menopause” but also its treatment.
There’s lots of controversy over testosterone replacement therapy and whether or not it actually helps the symptoms of androgen deficiency. What’s more, research suggests that a large majority of men experiencing symptoms of androgen deficiency do not seek care. (No surprise there, right?!)

So is it real? Or is it a natural result of aging? One might argue that menopause is also correlative to aging so that a distinction should not be made between the sexes. On the other hand, I think that given the choice, many women would choose a gradual decline over the plunge off the cliff any day. For better or worse, menopause is owned by the ladies. And until all the votes are in, I suggest that we stop referring to this age-related problem in men as “menopause.”