Mid-Life Reality: What 'Male Menopause' Can Do To You, Know About Testosterone’s Slow Fade

If you are over 30 years old and love handles, saggy pecs (pectoral muscles), and decreased sex drive are your concerns, then you might wanna check your testosterone levels, for you might be going through “male menopause.” ‘Menopause’ in males, begins early, but the symptoms typically do not become noticeable until the 50s or 60s. 

The answer to why it happens and how you can manage it, isn't straightforward, so let's delve deeper. 

What is ‘Male Menopause’ 

In women, menopause is a little well-defined; the process typically unfolds around 50s when estrogen, primary female sex hormone, drops sharply after remaining high for decades. This dramatic decline over five years brings about clear physical and psychological changes, including the cessation of menstrual periods.

Nonetheless, the biological truth is that women aren't the only sex to experience ‘menopause,' Men too experience a natural decline in sex hormones with age. The process, however, unfolds very gradually in them. 

Men don't experience a dramatic shift. Starting as early as age 30, testosterone levels, the key male sex hormone, begin to drop at a steady rate of about 1% per year. This slow and subtle decrease makes the effects difficult to detect for many years, if not decades. 

What Male Menopause Symptoms Look Like

The term “male menopause,” though not medically accurate, refers to a cluster of symptoms associated with low testosterone, or "low T" also known as “Andropause.” These can include loss of muscle mass, reduced bone strength, increased body fat, decreased energy levels, diminished libido, and erectile dysfunction. In some cases, especially where testosterone drops suddenly due to illness, injury, chemotherapy, or medications, these symptoms can be severe.

In such scenarios, testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) may help. However, for the average man, diagnosing testosterone deficiency isn’t always clear-cut. Testosterone levels can vary widely among men of the same age, and not all men with low testosterone report symptoms.

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Treatment for Andropause 

Men experiencing signs of hormonal change should consult a doctor, who typically rules out other underlying causes first, such as thyroid issues, depression, or alcohol overuse, before testing testosterone levels.

The test is most accurate when conducted in the morning, as hormone levels fluctuate throughout the day, and should be repeated at least once to ensure accuracy. The usual range for testosterone levels according to most labs is 300 to 1,000 nanograms per deciliter. 

Ultimately, treatment decisions are made based on the test results and symptoms. However, experts caution that numbers don't always correlate with how a patients feel.

So, while "male menopause" may not be a perfect term, the hormonal shifts men experience with age are very real and worth discussing with a medical professional.