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Understanding the Complexity of Male Menopause
Understanding the Complexity of Male Menopause You or someone you know is suffering from
male menopause. This condition stems from the loss of the male hormone testosterone and can be aggravated by poor
nutrition, lack of adequate exercise, excessive use of alcohol, and smoking. Male menopause symptoms can start to
be noticed as early as age 35 and strike and persist well into the 70's. The main symptoms are physical, emotional
and mental. The physical symptoms revolve around the inability to have or sustain an erection, or to have the
desire for sexual activity. Another physical symptom is that of being overweight for your age and height. As men
age they tend to put on weight, there are many reasons for this; decrease in physical activity, loss of
testosterone can lessen endurance and strength of muscles so the ability to lift weights or complete other
strengthening exercise decreases so the man does less of these activities which may have kept him in good shape in
the past. Work environment or a too busy lifestyle may lead to poor diet habits that foster the habit to eat foods
that are high in fat and sugar. These foods on a steady basis increase your weight and expand your waistline.
Combine the poor diet with the now decreased physical activity and it is easy to see why the pounds come on easily.
The emotional symptoms of male menopause are: being over sensitive to his decreased sexual performance, feelings of
being unworthy or a decreased self-ego, mood swings are also common. Changes in work or home at this time can have
devastating emotional effects on the menopausal male. Spouses or partners may have no idea that sexual lack of
interest has more to do with his symptoms rather than them and may lash out at the male causing more confusion and
lack of self-esteem issues; this of course will lead to more performance issues which will aggravate the situation
further. To preserve relationships it is imperative that the correct diagnosis is made and that all parties are
informed of the reasons for the symptoms. Menopausal symptoms can cause great havoc on personal relationships as
well as work relationships. The mental symptoms of male menopause are: a decreased ability to concentrate on events
while at work or home. Tasks that need accomplishing at work can become difficult to complete as the man suffering
from male menopause struggles to focus on what is being said when he attends meetings or has conversations with
superiors or co-workers. This can lead to severe repercussions at work such as demotion or loss of job. If this
happens the loss will increase depression and further aggravate the situation. Many of the symptoms of male
menopause are inter-related. The increased waist and stomach girth exacerbates the ability for sexual pleasure and
the added weight can lead to a decreasing effect on testosterone. Depression can lead to a lack of desire to
participate in events such as sports with friends that may have been a source of exercise in the past. Lack of
exercise leads to fatigue which only worsens depression. Depressed individuals are also less apt to put forth the
effort to eat healthy meals which will fuel more depression. Fatigue occurs for many reasons as a result of
hormonal imbalance, poor diet, depression and lack of sleep. An inactive person will experience more fatigue than
one who does a minimum of 30 minutes of physical activity each day. Fatigue can be a symptom of illness and should
signal to the individual and those around him that a cause for the fatigue should be determined. The best way to
find the cause for fatigue is to schedule a medical exam.
Male Hot Flashes
The medical community has been debating the presence of male menopause and some refer to it as andropause, which according to Webster's New Millennium(tm) Dictionary, is the "male counterpart of menopause, when the production of testosterone decreases and there are accompanying mental symptoms.. They both refer to the same symptoms the males have regarding aging and they can start experiencing these symptoms as early as 35. Andropause is also referred to as viropause which simply means "a syndrome associated with a lack of or absence of testosterone" according to Dr Malcolm Carruthers book: Maximising Manhood.
The symptoms of andropause have been stated as being:
Extreme fatigue
Joint aches
Stiffness in hands
Hot flashes
Sleep disturbances
Depression
Irritability
Anger bouts
Reduced libido
A reduction in ejaculate
Premature aging
Hair and skin changes
There are however other reasons for testicular malfunction such as:
viral infections (mumps)
Surgical removal of the testis and the male reproductive tract due to hernia repairs, or testicular cancer or even when a vasectomy is performed.
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Male Menopause Tips and Facts.
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