Andropause, Causes, Signs and Symptoms, Diagnosis and Treatment

Andropause is a male related menopause that is marked by age-related changes in the male hormone levels.
• For a woman, menopause may mark the time when menstruation ends and she is unable to become pregnant. Her levels of female hormones, estrogen, and progesterone reduce in a relatively short period of time. In men, production of testosterone and other hormones declines over a period of many years- at about less than 2% a year after age 30 on an average.
• Testosterone is a hormone produced in the male testes responsible for the development of male sexual characteristics. It also contributes to the sex drive, it maintains muscle mass, regulates fertility, fat distribution, and red blood cell production.
• Not all men experience male menopause.
• A specialist in male infertility, Michael A. Werner provides that andropause occurs in 2-5% of men ages 40-49, rises to 6-30% in men ages 50-59, reaches 20-45% in men ages 60-69, and is found in up to 70% of men ages 70-79. Once men reach the 80s, andropause rates top 90%.
CAUSES
Andropause is caused by a gradual decrease in the level of testosterone in men. Testosterone levels decline with aging at about 1% per year.
Not all men experience the condition, it is believed that certain factors other than a change in the level of the hormone may contribute to the development of male menopause. These may include:
• Heart disease
• Obesity
• High blood pressure
• Type 2 diabetes
• Lack of exercise e
• Smoking
• Alcohol consumption
• Stress
• Anxiety
• Sleep deprivation