Everywhere we look lately we are being presented with the various issues, especially around health, of the aging population. Having reached the half century myself and working in the health industry these are issues that I see every day.
I was interested to read an article recently in Science Daily talking about age-related hormone changes that occur not only in women but also in men. while menopause has been mainly talked about in terms of woman’s health, men also may suffer from some this in what is medically termed hypogonadism, where the testicles start decreasing their production of testosterone leading to a male menopause
The hormone changes in women occur more quickly with the cessation of ovulation leading to a relatively quick decrease in hormone levels. In men this happens much more slowly but it is estimated that testosterone levels begin dropping by about one percent a year starting in the late 30’s.
Symptoms include fatigue, mood swings, decreased desire for sex, hair loss, lack of concentration and weight gain. Diagnosis is, not surprisingly by blood test and treatment is via hormone replacement therapy with very quick and effective results.