Urology Conditions
What is andropause?
Experiencing low sex drive, body energy level is not up to par and your strength is not what it was. These conditions that occur in any aging male, but there may be drop in hormone production as well. This is what andropause is, an emotional and physical change that many men go through.
It’s been known for a long time that hormones produced in the testes reduce as men get older. But lately more attention is being paid to what can be done about this condition clinically. Where men used to shrug it off as an expected part of the aging process, physicians are now discovering medical solutions to address these symptoms. If you’d like to know the more technical names for the condition they are male climacteric andropause, late onset hypogonadism, or androgen decline in the aging male (ADAM).
There are a few more things to be aware of. Andropause doesn’t happen to everyone, but if it does, it’s not a sudden condition; it creeps up on you gradually. So, although it’s sometimes referred to as male menopause, it’s different from what women experience, which is an abrupt change in hormone levels accompanying the end of the reproductive cycle.
Andropause symptoms
As we’ve said, andropause is not a sudden condition; it creeps up on you gradually. You might detect the onset of andropause if any or all of these occur:
- Diminished sexual desire and erectile quality. In particular, a decrease in nocturnal erections is a significant sign of decreased androgens with a decrease in intellectual activity, fatigue, depression, anger, and poor spatial orientation.
- Mood changes. This sometimes comes with a loss of intellectual activity, fatigue, depression, anger, and poor spatial orientation.
- Lean body mass reduces along with muscle mass and strength.
- A loss of body hair.
- Bone density decreases resulting in osteoporosis. Osteoporosis can lead to the occurrence of bone fractures and breaks.
- An increase in fat around internal organs.