Male Menopause is No Myth

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Everyone knows about menopause, but women don’t have all the luck! There are age-related hormone changes in men as well.

The term “male menopause”– or andropause– describes decreasing testosterone levels. In women, ovulation ends and hormone production plummets during a relatively short period of time, with more dramatic changes. In men, hormone production and testosterone levels decline more gradually, and the effects (changes in sexual function, energy level or mood) tend to be subtle and might go unnoticed for years.

After the age of 30 testosterone levels decline gradually, about 1% a year. Some men have a lower than normal testosterone level without signs or symptoms, but the one sign that can’t be missed is the physical change of increased body fat and swollen or tender breasts (gynecomastia). This is because stored fat (visceral fat) produces a form of estrogen and, just as women do, men have estrogen receptors in the breast cells.

There is a common factor in both menopause and andropause: The effects of both are WAY MORE controllable if you are slim and maintain a healthy weight.