Male menopause does exist

You thought menopause was something women went through when they reached the age of 50, didn't you? Apparently, men go through it too, but male menopause, called andropause, unlike the female menopause, which is related to female reproductive function, affects male sexual function instead.

Other symptoms of andropause are erectile dysfunction, decreased libido, mood disturbance (including depression, irritability, feeling tired, loss of muscle size and strength), osteoporosis, increased body fat, difficulty with concentration, memory loss and difficulty sleeping.

Men suffering from andropause may well feel that their manliness has stopped or declined. Although medical practitioners have studied andropause since the 1940s, it is still a controversy, and many men still deny its existence. However, it is becoming more widely accepted in the scientific world as something that does indeed happen to men as they age. It is described by Jed Diamond, a California psychotherapist and author of Male Menopause, as 'puberty in reverse.' Diamond notes that like puberty, andropause wreaks "hormonal, psychological, interpersonal, social, sexual and spiritual changes in aging men, just as puberty does for teenage youths."

A study conducted in 2003 by Dr. A. Festus, et al, of then University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife), found that 44 per cent of men aged 30 to 70 suffer from erectile dysfunction; and out of these, eight per cent was severe and 36 per cent moderate.

Needless to say, the researchers found that the incidence of erectile dysfunction increased as men got older from 38.5 per cent for men aged 31-40 years to 64 per cent for the older age group of 61-79 years.

Of social significance is that the researchers found that most men deny the existence of andropause. Thirty-nine per cent regard it as a myth, while another 24 per cent usually blame it on their wives. They therefore use this excuse to look for younger partners, only to discover that the problem has not gone away. Not realising that andropause has a medical foundation stops men from seeking appropriate medical help.

Andropause is due to changing hormone levels in men, which progressively decline with age. It is characterised by loss of testosterone, the hormone that makes men act like men. Most men's testosterone levels drop as they age; however, some men are affected more than others are. The rate of decline varies from individual to individual. The loss of testosterone, which can happen to men as young as 35, is gradual, with testosterone levels dropping by one per cent to 1.55 per cent annually, starting at about age 30. Testosterone levels drops by about 10 per cent every 10 years. At the same time, another hormone in the body called Sex Binding Hormone Globulin or SBHG, traps much of the testosterone that is still circulating around the system and makes it unavailable to the body's tissues to make them function properly.

The testosterone that is remaining to assist the tissues to function as they should is called "bioavailable testosterone levels." Every man experiences a decline of bioavailable testosterone, but some men's levels dip lower than others. It is estimated that 30 per cent of men in their 50s will have testosterone levels low enough to cause andropause symptoms. Testosterone is one of the hormones that form the androgen panel or make hormones. According to the World Health Organisation, androgen levels of men aged 70 were only 10 per cent of that of men aged 25 years. For this reason, some have described andropause as ADAM (Androgen Deficiency of the Aging Male).

Unlike women, men do not have a clear-cut signpost such as the stopping of menstruation to tell them they are in andropause. Instead, it comes as a gradual and distressful decline in their sexuality and overall energy, with increasing moodiness. By the time most men are 40-45 or middle aged, they have experienced some symptoms of andropause, which range from energy loss to depression to sexual dysfunction. The bodily changes occur gradually in men and may be accompanied by changes in attitude, moods, fatigue and a loss of energy, sex drive and physical agility. Muscle mass and bone density decrease; and just like women, men are prone to broken bones and osteoporosis.

Although andropause is a normal part of aging, that does not mean men should accept it as inevitable. If left untreated, it can have severe medical consequences that go beyond the loss of libido.

For starters, it can lead to osteoporosis and broken bones. Testosterone is a hormone that is not only essential for normal sexual behaviour and for producing erections, but it also helps to build protein.

It also affects many metabolic activities such as the production of blood cells in the bone marrows, bone function, lipid metabolism, carbohydrate metabolism, liver function and prostate gland growth. If testosterone levels are not adequately replaced, many body functions may be adversely affected, leading to premature aging and an unhealthy old age.
BY OLADAPO ASHIRU