Male Menopause

...Normally menopause in women starts between 40-50 yrs of age. Well, starting around age 40, a man's body also starts producing less testosterone. It is sometimes referred to as `Andropause,' as it is very similar to menopause in women, but male hormone dependent. Though there is a dramatic drop in the female hormone, estrogen levels, in men the male hormone testosterone falls down gradually over many years. Some people also coin this period of hormone decline as the `mid life crisis'.
Causes for male menopause:
•    Stress
•    Depression
•    Normal physical ageing
•    Exposure to heavy Pollution  
•    Alcoholism
•    Excessive smoking
•    Result of side effects of taking certain medications. (Such as those for hypertension and diabetes)

Signs of menopause are:
•    Reduced sexual desire
•    Infertility
•    Hair loss
•    Fatigue
•    Insomnia
•    Reduced muscular strength, bulk and bone loss
•    Depression and irritability
•    Excessive sweating and hot flushes etc.

Treatment depends on the severity of the falling testosterone level. Before a person starts TRT (Testosterone replacement therapy), he should talk to his doctor of possible side effects and interactions with medications currently being taken, and to confirm that these symptoms are the result of low testosterone levels and not some other underlying disease. The testes, unlike the ovary, do not run out of the substance needed to make testosterone. A healthy male may be able to make sperm well into his eighties or even longer. (Source: Clevelandclinic.org).

In the immediate future the easiest way to address waning testosterone levels impact and side effects on your daily life is by improving your diet and lifestyle. This simply means:
•    Eating a balanced diet that is rich in fiber
•    Consume less fat
•    Eat more fruits and vegetables
•    Drink plenty of water
•    Consume less alcohol
•    Get adequate rest and sleep at night
•    Moderate amounts of exercise
•    Reduce or cease smoking.

The research is still out on the adverse impact of TRT on the prostate, which can cause it to grow significantly or even enable a slow growing prostate cancer to speed up its progression.

By. V.Iyengar
Dietitian Online,
www.NutritionVista.com