Male Menopause: Hormone Change Hits Men, Too

Think menopause is just a "female thing"? Not true! In fact, more than five million men are suffering from  male menopause, research shows. And just like the lowering of female hormones in women can lead to decreased sex drive, weight gain, mood swings and hot flashes, the lowering male hormones in men can have similar results -- affecting their weight, mood and sex drive. Other symptoms in men include tiredness and hair loss.

Experts believe 95 percent of cases of male menopause may be undiagnosed. But that's unfortunate, because just like there are remedies -- both prescription and natural -- for menopause, there are treatments for male menopause, too.

So what causes male menopause? The condition occurs when the testicles do not produce enough testosterone, causing a drop in the hormone level which leads to mental and physical changes.

Whereas, with women, ovulation comes to an end in a relatively short time, in men the hormonal shift is slower, with testosterone levels starting to drop one percent a year in the late thirties.

By 70, the reduction could be as high as 50 percent.

Explaining the process, known as male hypogonadism, urologist Dr. Robert Brannigan of Chicago's Northwestern Memorial Hospital said: "This is a highly prevalent disorder.

"Unfortunately, we estimate that 95 percent of cases are undiagnosed and therefore untreated. When ignored, symptoms can seriously disrupt one's quality of life."

Hormone replacement therapy could help treat the condition, which has been linked to chronic medical conditions such as high cholesterol, diabetes and cardiovascular disease. It can also lead to infertility through the condition hypogonadism.

Dr. Brannigan, who is also professor of urology at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, said: "We are seeing more men affected by male hypogonadism than we saw 10 years ago.

"It's important that men pay attention to their body and openly discuss symptoms with their physician in order to prevent overlooking the cause and avoid missing an opportunity for appropriate therapy."

Michael Andruzzi, 40, was diagnosed with the condition.

He said: "My body was telling me that something wasn't right. I was always tired, it didn't matter how much sleep I got, I constantly wanted to take a nap.

"Once I began treatment, I felt better very quickly.

"My energy level shot back up; I regained strength and felt I could concentrate much better."