Following is a brief but very informative post from Dr. Betty Bowers, MD about "male menopause". Dr. Bowers is accepting male patients for hormone testing and therapy. She is accepting male and female patients for general wellness visits. Andropause is the clinical name for “male menopause”. Another clinically used term is male hypogonadism. It is a condition that is frequently unrecognized and therefore under diagnosed. This is primarily because there is no dramatic event that heralds its onset like the female experience with menopause. In fact in most cases andropause presents itself subtly and over a prolonged period of time. Its symptoms are frequently attributed to many other causes and are therefore ignored. The onset of andropause is commonly felt to start in the 40’s but can be seen as early as the 20’s. It can be associated with systemic disease states. The early signs of decreasing testosterone are decreased energy, muscle fatigue, weight gain, decreased feeling of wellbeing and grumpiness. Later symptoms include depression, which can lead to dissatisfaction with work, home, relationships and life in general. In some cases this can have disastrous results on one’s personal and/or professional life. The later stage is the one most people associate with low “T” and is commonly characterized as erectile dysfunction or “ED”. This stage is characterized by decreased libido, lack of or decreased frequency of morning erections, decreased strength of erections and abnormalities of ejaculation. This can have detrimental effects on self-esteem, interpersonal relationships and quality of life. As bad as the previous discussion seems, the other consequences of low testosterone can be worse. The increased abdominal girth, secondary to andropause, can result in insulin resistance, impaired carbohydrate metabolism and type II diabetes. Low testosterone levels have a detrimental effect on bone metabolism which can lead to osteopenia and osteoporosis which in turn increases the risk of bone fractures. There is a decrease in muscle mass and strength. This leads to a decreased ability to perform the tasks of everyday living and increases the risk of soft tissue damage and falls. The most concerning potential complication of low testosterone levels is the effect it has on brain function. There is decrease in spatial cognition, which is useful in such areas as navigating a vehicle safely. There is a decreased ability to concentrate, an increased incidence of anxiety and depression and an increased risk of developing Alzheimer’s dementia.
Posted on: Mon, 19 Aug 2013 18:07:32 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015