Andropause, When Men Experience Conditions Similar To Menopause

Man illustration (Olya Adamovich-Pixabay)

JAKARTA - We certainly know the fact that every woman aged 40 years and over will experience menopause. This is marked by the cessation of the menstrual cycle, aka the end of the fertile period.

Not only are they no longer menstruating every month, women will also feel some changes. These include mood swings, decreased energy, drier vagina, even bone loss and skin discoloration.

What is not widely known is that men will experience the same thing. Menopause in men is called andropause.

Andropause can be defined as a syndrome of decreased male sexual satisfaction and desire due to low levels of testosterone.

Testosterone itself is a hormone in men that appears since adolescence. It plays an important role in physical development, from hair, voice, muscles, and sexual desire.

With age, levels will decrease and then men will experience a period of andropause. Generally, men will experience andropause from the age of 40-60 years.

The medical world has various terms for andropause, namely climacteric in men, Androclise, Androgen Decline in Aging Male (ADAM), Partial Androgen Deficiency of the Aging Male (PADAM), male aging syndrome, and Late Onset Hypogonadism (LOH).

Signs of andropause that men will experience include reduced concentration, fatigue, changes in behavior and mood, susceptibility to depression, low sexual desire, erectile dysfunction, and insomnia.

In addition, you will also experience decreased endurance, decreased height, do not enjoy life, often feel sad, often want to be angry, decrease your ability to exercise, and decrease productivity.

For further examination, if you experience these symptoms it's a good idea to see a doctor. Later the doctor will check the level of testosterone in the blood.

Andropause is indeed a condition that occurs naturally. However, you can also prevent it from occurring sooner or at least reduce symptoms so that they are not too severe.

Some ways to prevent that can be done are consuming vitamins D and E, implementing a healthy lifestyle such as regular exercise, reducing preservative, fatty and high-calorie foods, as well as avoiding exposure to pollution from the environment.