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Male Menopause by the Numbers

It's a fact that as a culture we tend to like to express as many concepts as possible in mathematical terms. One of the simple reasons for this relates to our view of math as a pure language, where concepts may be effectively expressed regardless of the writer's regular language, and then may be understood by others. As long as a relevant point may be illustrated by numbers, mathematics is the perfect vehicle to carry information and then present it to anyone to be readily understood. Using numbers to express our knowledge, let's see what we can learn about male menopause.

Let's begin with the levels of an important male hormone known as testosterone. Once a man reaches the age of thirty or so, his testosterone level starts to drop, but in very small amounts. Every year for the rest of his life, it will decrease in tiny increments that may measure around one percent per year. Unless something else happens to draw the man's attention to the situation, the falling numbers may not make themselves felt until a man reaches his fifties, sixties, or even seventies (or, sometimes not at all). While some men with significantly low levels of testosterone in their bodies may wind up not feeling any symptoms, there are other men, with similar levels, who will feel it quite acutely. Adding to the variables we're considering, there are several diseases whose symptoms are very similar to testosterone deficiency (like alcohol abuse, problems with hormones other than testosterone, and kidney and lung disease) so the physician must exercise great caution in the diagnosis. There are similar symptoms for liver disease and heart disease that must be investigated and ruled out before the doctor can feel completely comfortable with his or her diagnosis.

Then we come to the rather complicated matter of understanding testosterone blood studies. In the blood we find two kinds of testosterone at work: active and inactive testosterone. When a test is conducted, it is the low levels of active testosterone that need to be taken into account, since that is the level that causes the symptoms of testosterone deficiency. Besides for this, your physician may also choose to order a "total testosterone" test.

The definition of "normal" testosterone levels can be perplexing. Testosterone levels may vary widely among men in the same age group, including the men without any symptoms of testosterone deficiency. Making the variable even more complex is the fact that testosterone levels will fluctuate throughout the day. This is one reason that setting benchmark numbers can be so daunting.

Consequently, if you have symptoms like unexplained weight gain, depression, problems with sleep, irritability and you're over fifty years of age, you should most certainly go and see your doctor. If he has you tested and it turns out that you are not testosterone deficient, then he will look elsewhere for the cause of your symptoms so that a proper course of treatment may be initiated.

All the tests and numbers will help the doctor gain the knowledge he requires to prescribe safe and effective treatment.