Male andropause is similar to the female condition of menopause. Andropause symptoms, however, are slightly different than that of menopause.
Menopause has a very clear onset, when a female ceases the menstruation cycle. In male andropause, however, symptoms are varied and spread out.
The symptoms include both physical and emotional disruptions.
Physically, andropause symptoms run through a wide range of levels, including both physical appearance and sexual responses.
The symptoms of andropause are difficult to diagnose as they may occur very gradually, and over a long period of time.
Males may begin to have lower levels of testosterone within their blood streams around the age of 30, but again, unlike menopause, this may not be the case among all men.
Some men will experience little or no decline in their testosterone levels until well into their senior years.
Physically, one of the most visible andropause symptoms occurs as the aging man begins to take on an older looking body type.
Male andropause is caused by a drop in the level of the hormone testosterone, and this drop makes it harder for males to build and maintain muscle mass. An increase in body fat and lost muscle definition (a sagging appearance) is one of the most visible symptoms.
Male andropause will also result in a lessening of agility as one of the symptoms.
Males will find themselves not as able to compete in sports as they once were, and their reflex times may also slow down.
A third andropause symptom that manifests itself physically is what occurs with the libido. Physically, the effects of male andropause on the libido may lead to erectile dysfuntion.
A downward trend in the libido, wherein men desire sex less than in their younger years, is also a symptom of male andropause.
Emotional symptoms include a tendency to fatigue, a change in moods, and changes in attitudes.
The change in mood is a classic example of an undiagnosed andropause symptom, as for a long time it was thought that older males just became grumpy men.
The study of andropause is relatively new. Literature on male andropause did not begin appearing until the 1940s, and it is still an affliction that many people dismiss due to biases.
A new focus among researchers in the field of andropause has begun to change this, however, and andropause symptoms that were once thought of as nothing more than the inevitable deterioration of the individual are now being seen as what they truly are: a sign of a serious affliction rooted in hormonal loss.
As research continues, it is growing increasingly apparent that the signs of male andropause need to be recognized, as andropause and andropause symptoms are the first signals of a significant drop in testosterone levels, an occurrence which can lead to further serious diseases such as heart attacks and strokes.
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