Is there such thing as male menopause?
Male menopause describes a mid-life crisis caused by a decrease of a testosterone level. It is characterized by a low libido, erectile dysfunction. anxiety and depression. Another symptoms of this period are:
- - unexplained fatigue
- - bones aches, stiffness of the articulations
- - sleep disturbances
- - changes in skin and hair quality
- - memory problems
As we already said, responsible for those changes in male metabolism is the testosterone- hormone that regulates the proteins in the body, assuring the development and protection of penis and testicles. A deficiency of testosterone in male’s body goes also to varicose vain, hemorrhoids, atrophy of the skin, high blood pressure and higher cholesterol level. Sometimes, the hormonal changes can cause hypogonadism , responsible for osteoporosis, infertility and heart disease (annual, coronary heart disease causes over 50 000 men’s deaths).
At the shows of the first symptoms, men has to visit the doctor for prescribing a treatment- usually a testosterone replacement therapy. Tests will check the testosterone level, FSH (follicle stimulating hormone) and LH ( luteinizing hormone).
The treatment must be administrated by the doctor, no matter how many “friendly advices” u will get from people near you.
But, even this way, there are some risks that the testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) includes, one of them being he prostate cancer. If the hormone is administrated to a a patient that already has prostate cancer it cause an aggravation of this disease, so a test of the prostate is imperative before starting the treatment. Another adverse effects of administration are thrombophlebitis and hypercoagulability of blood and liver toxicity. That’s why some major tests have to be done every 3 months of treatment.
Testosterone is available in four forms- oral ( not recommended because it’s higher risk of toxicity), injectable, trans-dermal and implants ( inserted in the abdomen, under anaesthezia). It is necessarily to remember that early diagnosis and THT can improve life’s condition and mood in time of male menopause.