Thread: Menopause: It's Not Just For Women

This may explain the behavior from our senior members.







Doctors Say Men Go Through 'Change Of Life,' Too

POSTED: 2:13 am EST March 2, 2007
UPDATED: 12:46 pm EST March 2, 2007

Mood swings, bone loss, no sex drive -- and we're not talking about women.


It turns out menopause has gone coed. Men are getting it, too, NBC 10 News Medical Reporter Cherie Bank reported.

"I think so because they get all cranky and mad and evil," said one woman.


"That's a scary thing to think about -- everybody going through menopause instead of just half the population going through menopause," said a man.


About 25 million men between the ages of 40 and 55 are experiencing their own "change of life."

"Actually there is a problem when men get older. They have an imbalance in their hormones -- the male hormone, specifically, testosterone," said Dr. Phillip Ginsberg from Albert Einstein Medical Center.


Ginsberg said that as men age they don't produce as much testosterone, leading to muscle loss, osteoporosis, nervousness, fatigue, weight gain and low sex drive.


"They have lack of strength and energy, they get irritable, they maybe see a change in their work performance," Ginsberg said,

And, for men, it can take place over a number of years. It's diagnosed with a blood test to check testosterone levels. If they're low, men can be given testosterone replacement.


"(It's) a gel, a cream that they place on their body every morning, right after their shower," Ginsberg said.

It can enhance libido and sexual function, as well as improving bone density and muscle mass.


"We give them testosterone back, and suddenly they say, "My life is just more fun. I'm enjoying life more,'" said Dr. John Morley, a gerontologist.

Testosterone replacement therapy might be risky. Doctors know that prostate cancer growth can be slowed if they remove testosterone from the body.


They're not sure if the cancer growth will be sped up if they add testosterone.

What they do know is that only about 5 percent of men experiencing male menopause are being treated for it, Bank reported.

MSNBC: Is Male Menopause Real?

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They are calling it andropause for men.