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Public release date: 17 June 2010
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Study finds some association between nine symptoms and male menopause
Male menopause is also called
andropause or late-onset hypogonadism. British researchers from Imperial
College London and the University of Manchester described a set of concrete symptoms for "male menopause"
for the first time. They have also determined that only about 2 percent of men aged 40 to 80 suffer from
the condition, far less than previously thought.
The study authors noted that male menopause supposedly results from
reduction in testosterone production that
occur later in life, but there has been some debate on how real the phenomenon is..
Many men have been taking testosterone supplements to combat the perceived effects of aging, even though it's
not clear if taking these supplements help or if they're even safe. The result has been mass confusion, not
only as to whether male menopause exists but also how to treat it.
For this study, the research team measured testosterone levels in 3,369 men aged 40 to 79 and then correlated
these levels with different symptoms.
Only nine symptoms of 32 possible symptoms were linked with decreased testosterone levels, as follows:
Physical symptoms (3)
- not being able to engage in strenuous physical activity,
- not being able to walk more than 1 kilometer and
- not being able to bend over or kneel
Psychological symptoms (3)
- low energy,
- sadness and
- fatigue.
Sexual symptoms (3)
- less frequent morning erections,
- lower sex drive and
- erectile dysfunction
The British research team concluded that psychological and physical symptoms were only peripherally
linked to low testosterone levels, while sexual symptoms were more robustly related to testosterone levels.
The authors stated that men need to have all three sexual symptoms plus measurably lower levels of
testosterone to qualify for the diagnosis of late-onset hypogonadism. Just because an older guy says
he has a bad sex life, doctors shouldn't automatically give him testosterone, because these symptoms
that are associated with hypogonadism are not necessarily going to be treated that way.
Erectile dysfunction is complicated. It's associated with other co-morbidities and the ability to regain
normal erectile function is often not successfully treated with just testosterone.
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