Ten years ago, men's menopause was not talked about so often, but now this topic is becoming more and more relevant. By this term, he means age-related changes associated with a decrease in testosterone levels: they affect not only sexual life, but also the physiological state of the body.
Both men and women are subject to age-related changes that are associated with the level of sex hormones. In women, this age-related change is called menopause, the female menopause.
The concept of "male menopause" in medicine is very controversial. To describe the condition of men, some doctors use the concepts of male menopause, andropause, and age-related androgen deficiency. But in fact, all this is about one thing: they describe the changes that occur in the body of a man due to a decrease in testosterone levels. And these changes can affect the emotional and physiological state, the sexual life of a man.
Men's menopause is significantly different from women's: firstly, women lose their fertility after such hormonal changes, and secondly, menopause occurs in all women at about the same age — 45-55 years. In men, everything is not so clear: andropause can affect only 20-30% of men who are at risk, it can significantly stretch over time (even for 5-10 years), some men may not feel it physiologically, as it will occur in a latent form (while after clinical studies, low testosterone levels may be confirmed).
* Changes in the psychoemotional state. It is no coincidence that testosterone is called the king of hormones: if everything is fine with its level, a man is active, aggressive in a good way, he wants to achieve some goals, take risks. When there is a lack of it - comes apathy or even depression. Against this background, even the number of suicides increases.
* Physiological changes occur. Testosterone affects muscle mass (which means it can be lost), the skin, the growth of adipose tissue (especially in the abdomen), the work of the cardiovascular system, the development of type 2 diabetes. The more testosterone decreases, the more susceptible a man becomes to these diseases and changes.
* Violations also relate to sexual life. They can be manifested by a decrease in libido, the quality of an erection or sperm suffers (the latter is especially important for those who are thinking about adding to the family).
It is worth noting that these symptoms are not specific and do not necessarily indicate a low level of testosterone.
You need to understand that the level of testosterone begins to fall from the age of 30 (by 1% per year) — this is a natural process. According to statistics, a man can face andropause in 45-50 years. However, there are cases of earlier start of changes, and later. There is a tendency to reduce the quality of sperm in men of 20-30 years: now some 65-year-olds find it easier to become a father than 30-year-olds. But these are very individual questions that will already be related not only to the level of testosterone.
At risk are those who are associated with constant stress (the stress hormone cortisol affects the production of sex hormones), who have problems with the cardiovascular system, atherosclerosis.
Affects the launch of andropause lifestyle (alcohol, smoking) and overweight. Extra pounds lead to increased blood pressure, that is, they create all the conditions for the development of cardiovascular diseases and atherosclerosis. And changes in the atherosclerotic nature lead to the fact that the testicles lose their functions and do not produce sufficient levels of testosterone.
There are two areas of treatment. The first is the adjustment of a person's lifestyle (everything is important here-from nutrition to healthy sleep). The second is medication that helps regulate hormone levels: there are now a large number of medications in various forms (from tablets and injections to patches), but they also have their own contraindications. Before prescribing any treatment, a man needs to undergo a general clinical examination, check the level of sex hormones, the condition of the thyroid and prostate glands.