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Andropause informally referred "man-opause" simply refers to the state equivalent of the female menopause usually experienced advanced stages of a man's life, though it doesn't happen to everyone, the occurrence is averagely common. It's not instantaneous either, it's a condition that gradually develops, and the risk increases as ones ages and the risk is very high once, almost certain when one reaches the age of 80 and above the condition is inevitable.
Andropause is caused by a gradual reduction in the production of testosterone in the mans a condition commonly referred to as hypogonadism or Androgen Decline in Ageing Men (ADAM), even though it being compared to the female menopause, the experience are quite different as the onset of hypergonadism is gradual and that of the females is a precipitous change in level of hormones produced, concomitant with the end of the fertile reproductive cycle.
Andropause has often been thought more to be a myth rather than reality, and as such most men shy away from it, and thus the symptoms swoop in gradually undiscovered and worsens as one ages. The good news is that new medical solutions are being discovered to help contain the symptoms and thus help in elevating the effects of andropause on an aging man.
Just like women undergoing menopause, the gradual decline of hormones causes them to andropause's symptoms and just like women, the symptom varies from man to man and the symptoms are sometimes manifested physically and psychologically. Physically a man may suffer, erectile dysfunction syndrome (EDS) this is failure to achieve and sustain an erection, fatigue, lean body mass, reduction of muscle mass and potency, loss of body hair especially the under arm and the groin hair, reduction in bone density which in turn increases the risk of osteoporosis, an abnormal loss of bony tissue resulting in fragile porous bones that fracture and break easily, increases body fat especially around internal organs. The symptoms affect different men in different manners and therefore some men may majorly exhibit one or two of the above system only or may experience others in a trivial manner.
Psychologically the symptoms are moodiness, minimized interest in sex as a result of the erectile dysfunction, which causes self-esteem problems to the man consequently leading to low libido, and stamina if at all he does have sex. Poor spatial orientation and lessened participation in intelligent activities as they challenged by mental calculation, and a decrease of quality of judgment compared to before, if he was better at making sound decision earlier in life, he is more susceptible to make blatant errors which he may so commonly and quickly attribute to his age.
So, while in truth it just the hormone levels dwindling that cause this, the risk of dementia increases at this level, some even exhibiting more of "maternal" characteristics as opposed to before when they were young, more old men seem more inclined to family and domestic issues than the younger ones, the lack of testosterone feminizes a man, and thus they take on more of the house hold duties like cleaning and cooking and even babysitting, they become more devoted to spending much of their time and attention to their grandchildren, they become more conserved and abhor any risk event that they would have found pleasurable when they were young like bungee jumping, rock climbing, and they would just prefer to watch TV or play board games, however their perspective of fear changes as they age one fears losing his independence rather than death as eminent in the younger generation.
Having demystified the so called myth of andropause the prevalent symptoms associated with it, it is of primal importance also to mention some of the medical solution that have been discovered that are potent. The common method is hormone (testosterone) replacement therapy, a method who's goal is to restore the sexual performance increase libido and induce a sense of well being, reducing the risk of osteoporosis by improving the bone density, restoration of the muscle strength and mass, also help in improving the mental capabilities while keeping at bay the risk of getting dementia.
There are numerous anti-aging methods of administering this treatment ranging from pills to dermal patches that slowly administer the hormone that can lead to a better life.
Great something else to look forward too, as one ages......
Wow, didn't know that men had to go through that too. Thanks for an informative and interesting article.
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