Testosterone Andropause
As an anti-aging and regenerative medical doctor, I now understand what happens to far too many men that makes them “grumpy” as they age. First and foremost, their hormones, mostly testosterone, aren’t what they used to be. Testosterone not only protects a man’s health from heart attacks and cancers, it also makes him feel full of vitality and gives him a zest for life. These grumpy men have gone through what we now call “andropause,” the male menopause.
Menopause is a fairly well-known term that describes what women go through when they lose their hormones. Menopause comes with a variety of not-so-fun side effects like hot flashes, mood swings, and the loss of libido and concentration.
Andropause, which is a fairly new term that describes the process that men go through, comes with its own side effects. Many are identical to menopausal side effects. And one of them is being flat-out “grumpy.”
Women can go through menopause fairly quickly in their late 40s or early 50s. Men, on the other hand, may go on “the long, slow slide” into andropause. It often begins in a man’s mid-to-late 20s and continues year after year until a once happy and vibrant man is reduced to a grumpy old man.
Some causes of low testosterone levels include congenital problems (such as deficiencies of male hormones and rare malformation syndromes) and acquired problems that include aging, chronic illness, drugs, starvation, stress, head trauma, infections, cancers, surgeries, alcoholism, removal of or trauma to the testicles, and infection or twisting of the testicles in their sac. In addition, certain drugs compete with testosterone in the body.
The symptoms of low testosterone usually develop gradually, with the result that many men simply ignore them and get used to feeling lousy and functioning poorly. Symptoms include:
- Lack of energy, lack of ambition or drive
- Irritability, impatience, bad mood
- Low sex drive (libido)
- Poor erection maintenance, poor erectile strength
- Muscle loss, lack of strength
- Weight gain
- Depression or feelings of worthlessness
- Mental fogginess, fuzziness
- Difficulty concentrating
- Anxiety
- Poor sleep quality
- Decreased facial hair, decreased pubic hair
- Osteopenia or osteoporosis
With such a wide range of symptoms, you can see why lack of testosterone might not be the first problem that comes to mind. How many people, for example, connect feeling blue or moody behavior with hormones? Men with low testosterone often develop an attitude of not caring about anything, instead just ‘existing’ day-to-day. Pleasure and desire can be greatly decreased, which in turn affects most aspects of life including career and relationships. Other diseases such as low thyroid function among others can also mimic the symptoms of low testosterone levels. Always consult your doctor if you feel such symptoms and never begin any hormone replacement therapy (HRT) without medical supervision! Treatment of andropause:
- Good life style such as regular exercise, diet, no smoking, low alcohol consumption increases our own testosterone production
- Testosterone tablets are not recommended because of liver side effects
- At Dr. Olivier Clinic we inject Testosterone Enantate 250mg once a month and Nebido 1000mg once every three months