Male Menopause Symptoms -
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Whatever name they go by, these symptoms are caused by a similar problem to that of women going through menopause. As men age, their hormone levels slowly drop, and they may also develop hormonal imbalances.
In women this hormone deficiency happens rather abruptly as they near the end of their child bearing years. However, in men the process is more gradual so the symptoms also appear gradually. This makes the cause of those symptoms more difficult to recognize and resolve.
But all the research I've done agrees that the symptoms are actually caused by an overall decline in testosterone levels, or by an imbalance in the levels of testosterone relative to estrogen in a man's body.
Common Male Menopause Symptoms
Each man is different, and these symptoms will affect every individual differently. Few men will have all of these symptoms but most will struggle with some of them. Common andropause symptoms include:Can Male Menopause Symptoms be Fixed?
In some ways it depends on what we mean by "fixed". Conventional medicine prescribes synthetic testosterone hormones, in severe cases. But as with female hormones, the synthetic hormonal drugs aren't natural, and have many dangerous and serious side effects.On the other hand, natural, bio-identical testosterone is available, and seems to provide a good choice for regaining a more youthful hormone level.
So, as previously stated, in a nutshell, low levels of free testosterone (the only biologically active kind), or an unhealthy testosterone/estrogen balance, cause andropause symptoms. That is why they are also known as testosterone deficiency symptoms. However, there are actually five different problems that can cause low levels of free testosterone, or an unhealthy testosterone/estrogen balance.
Five Underlying Reasons for Male Menopause Symptoms
- Low free testosterone may be the result of an enzyme called aromatase converting too much testosterone into estrogen. Although all men have some estrogen in their bodies, there should never be much estrogen compared to testosterone.
As men age and gain weight, fat cells produce more of the aromatase enzyme. Frequently this results in an unhealthy ratio of testosterone to estrogen. Such an unhealthy ratio will produce male menopause symptoms.
An unhealthy liver can also make this effect worse, since the liver should remove excess estrogen to maintain a healthy hormonal balance.
- The next cause of low free testosterone levels is sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG). This is a special carrier protein that binds with the sex hormones in the blood stream. However, only the free hormones are active in our bodies, so if most or all of the sex hormones are bound to SHBG, there won't be enough free testosterone to stop male andropause symptoms.
- A third reason for these symptoms could be that the pituitary gland isn't sending the message to the gonads telling them to produce more testosterone. If that is the case, a man's overall testosterone levels will be low. This happens when the pituitary gland doesn't produce lutinizing hormone (LH) so the testicles don't know they need to make more testosterone.
- The fourth cause of low testosterone levels would be that the gonads aren't able to produce enough testosterone even though they are being told to do so by the pituitary gland. When this happens a man will have high levels of lutinizing hormone (LH) circulating in his blood, but his testosterone levels will still be low.
- Finally a low level of the hormone dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) that is used in the body to make testosterone will also cause a man's levels of free testosterone to be low, resulting in male menopause symptoms.
Natural Relief for Male Menopause Symptoms
As you can see by the previous explanation, since there are many possible problems that can cause these symptoms, this isn't a condition a man can treat by himself.In order to successfully resolve these symptoms, you will need to find a doctor who is willing to test you to rule out other possible causes for your symptoms, test your hormone levels to be sure they are actually low, and to discover which of the five possible problems discussed above are causing your symptoms.
The first way to relieve these symptoms is by supplementing with bio-identical testosterone. This is not a supplement that can be obtained without a doctor's prescription and monitoring, but if you have many male menopause symptoms, finding a doctor who will test your hormone levels and prescribe natural testosterone will indubitably be worthwhile.
However, if you are suffering from any type of hormone sensitive cancer, supplementing with testosterone may not be a possibility. Even so, there are several supplements that should improve your symptoms and enable you to overcome these problems.
Here are the supplements, and a short synopsis of what symptom, or symptoms they help.
Herbal Remedies for Male Menopause Symptoms
This has the resulting effect of raising hormone levels available for use in the body, and lowering the andropause symptoms men are struggling with.
It appears from my research that the last two of these herbs are frequently used together to overcome male menopause symptoms.
Availability and Conclusions
Most of the supplements discussed on this page are available from the Life Extension Foundation. They also have a list of doctors who are available in different parts of the country who will prescribe all natural bio-identical hormones.I would definitely recommend their services if you would like more detailed information, or if you're looking for a source of high quality supplements.
Male Menopause Symptoms can be as difficult for men, as menopause symptoms are for women, but there are natural and effective solutions available for both sexes.
However, unless we take the responsibility to find and utilize those solutions they will do us no good.
I trust you'll make overcoming these symptoms one of your top priorities.
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