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Male Menopause and Impotence

Testosterone is the hormone that stimulates sexual development in the male infant, bone and muscle growth in adult males, and is responsible for the sexual drive. Somewhere around the age of forty, testosterone levels will begin to decline, and usually about the time a man makes his eightieth birthday, most of his hormone levels have dropped to pre-puberty levels. 

It is a relatively new idea that males experience a menopause similar to women. Not even all healthcare providers believe that there is a men's menopause, so there should be no surprise at some areas of confusion.

Menopause is a condition more associated with women and their fertility. This is when a woman ceases to menstruate and can no longer bear children. Everyone, though, has seen a picture of a very old man and a very young girl and their baby. A woman is born with a finite number of eggs in her ovaries, even though they number in the thousands. When all the eggs have been used up, that's it, the party's over. Men, however, can continue to manufacture sperm in their testes. That is why some very old men can still father children. 

Some people equate impotence with the ability to father children. On the contrary, impotence is the failure to achieve and maintain erection, and men can reach this stage at widely varying ages, if they reach it at all.

Male menopause manifests itself in three different categories: physically, psychologically, and sexually. Physical symptoms include delayed recovery from injuries and illness, hair thinning or loss, waning of endurance in physical activity, weight gain (along with feeling bloated), loss of vision requiring glasses, and sleep disturbances. The psychological symptoms are fear and anxiety, more irritability, indecision, loss of self-confidence, depression, loss of purpose and direction, loneliness and lack of love, forgetfulness, and difficulty concentrating and feeling unattractive. The sexual symptoms include reduced interest in sex, fear of impotency, fantasies, problems in current relationships about sex and intimacy, and loss of erection during sex. With such a wide variance in symptoms, it is totally understandable that people can get confused. It is interesting to note that during this upheaval, men in mid-life can have reactions similar to PMS in women. It is beginning to be recognized that men and women in mid-life are more similar than was supposed.

Testosterone therapy is not for everyone. It should not be used as a catchall tonic for vague complaints or as a way to feel more "manly". Testosterone can cause serious side effects, including prostate cancer and liver toxicity if not used conservatively. A man's age and health and family dynamic must be taken into account.

Holistically speaking, there are changes in lifestyle that can address many of the male menopause problems, and while not as dramatic as testosterone, they can lead to an all-around healthier man. These include eating right with a well balanced diet low in fat, getting the proper amount of sleep (approximately 8-10 hours) per night, getting an annual physical exam that includes screening for prostate and testicular cancer, engaging in regular cardiovascular exercise, and minimizing stress in life. Once stress has been reduced, there may be a clearer picture of the individual's health dynamic, as stress can mimic a myriad of symptoms.