Men are not immune to menopause. Gynecologist Edward M. Lichten, M.D. found himself to be one of the 20 percent of baby boomers showing decreased levels of testosterone, below the normal range.
Dr. Lichten confessed that when he experienced ‘hot flashes’ at 48 years of age and would wake with his night shirt soaking wet, no one suggested to him to measure his hormones.
According to MayoClinic.com, testosterone levels in men peak during the teen and early adult years, then decrease about 1 percent a year starting after age 30.
Is your testosterone high enough to keep you healthy?
Andropause or “male menopause” is a phenomenon for which all men should take note. Sexual desire and sexual activity are barometers of a man’s general health. Changes in sexual function can forecast serious conditions such as heart disease, osteoporosis and diabetes.
What are the symptoms of “Male Menopause” or Andropause?
Although this phenomenon is controversial and often denied by the medical profession, men do experience a condition like female menopause between the ages of 40 and 55.
Bodily changes accompanied by changes in attitudes and moods often occur at this time. The first, and possibly the most noticeable symptom of male menopause, is fatigue.
Typically, there are restless, interrupted sleep patterns at night with rare night sweats and a pronounced feeling of exhaustion upon rising in the morning.
Andropausal men can also experience a decreased sexual drive, difficulty developing or maintaining erections, increased urinary frequency especially at night, impaired memory, a change in body shape (less muscle, more fat), and a decrease in strength or endurance.
All this will probably be accompanied by a decreased ability to handle stress, mood swings, irritability, depression and a slump in a man’s overall sense of wellbeing.
List of Common Symptoms of Andropause:
- Decreased libido and erectile dysfunction
- Fatigue and low energy
- Mood changes and irritability
- Decreased muscle mass and increased body fat
- Sleep disturbances
- Memory issues
What role does testosterone play in “Male Menopause”?
“Male Menopause” is a medical condition that is considered a counterpart to menopause in women. A decline in the levels of sex hormones in both females and males occurs during this time, although in the male, there is also a more complicated pattern of physical changes.
The main male sex hormones collectively are known as androgens, which mean ‘male producing’.
Testosterone is the main androgen, 95% of which is produced by and secreted from the testicles.
Testosterone is responsible for a man’s ability to perform sexually and for secondary sex characteristics such as: body hair, increased muscle bulk, body shape, and a deepening of the voice.
However, testosterone is much more than a sex hormone. There are testosterone receptor sites in cells throughout the body, most notably in the bones, brain, and heart. Testosterone has a role to play in nearly every aspect of a man’s physical function.
Total and Free Testosterone:
Total testosterone levels are highest in the early twenties and can start to decline from as soon as a man’s 30th year, at the rate of approximately 1 percent per year.
This drop in total testosterone is so gradual that it may not explain all the symptoms of andropause. What appears to be more relevant than this gradual decline is the drop in free testosterone; this is the active form of testosterone that is not bound in the blood to the protein, sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG).
This protein limits the amount of free (active) testosterone by hooking up to it, making it unavailable to tissue.
As men get older, the mechanisms for freeing enough testosterone begin to shut down, and one of the signs is an increased level of SHBG in the blood.
Herbal Support:
This increased binding of free testosterone helps to explain why older men who are on testosterone-replacement therapy do not report long-term aphrodisiac effects.
The herbs stinging nettle root (Urtica urens) and pygeum bark (Prunus africana) are known to block the testosterone from binding to SHBG. Preparations made from the stinging nettle root have a unique mechanism for increasing levels of free testosterone by displacing it from the SHBG binding site.
Stinging nettle root and pygeum bark extracts also benefit the prostate gland as a preventive treatment for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH).
To be continued – see part 2
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References
Lichten, E., M.D. 50 Plus Prime: The Oakland Press, Jul 30, 2009 https://www.theoaklandpress.com/news/50-plus-prime-understanding-bio-identical-hormones/article_98628093-f77a-558c-824f-d3a70ec6101d.html
The Decline of Androgen Levels in Elderly Men and Its Clinical and Therapeutic Implications. Endocrine Reviews, Volume 26, Issue 6, 1 October 2005, Pages 833–876 https://academic.oup.com/edrv/article/26/6/833/2355179
Mayo Clinic: Sexual Health. https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/sexual-health/in-depth/testosterone-therapy/art-20045728
Mayo Clinic Minute: Low testosterone levels can affect men. June 10, 2019 https://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discussion/mayo-clinic-minute-low-testosterone-levels-can-affect-men/
Mayo Clinic: Male hypogonadism. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/male-hypogonadism/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20354886
Gooren, L. Endocrine aspects of aging in the male, Mol Cell Endcr. 1998 Oct 25; 145(1-2): 153-9 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9922112/
Shippen, E. The Testosterone Syndrome, NY: Evans & Co., 1998
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