Men’s Blog

The first thing men notice is that they are experiencing difficulty with sexual function, they may not realize that there is a connection to the other symptoms they may have such as irritability, anger issues, fatigue, joint aches, and short term memory loss. They may not realize that all of these symptoms combined may mean that they are suffering from a loss of testosterone. These symptoms may occur gradually over a period of years and although they may start at age 35, they may not disrupt life enough to be bothersome until the male is in his 40’s or 50’s. The female in their life may call attention to the presence of symptoms.

Diagnosis:

At some point the male will decide to have a medical professional investigate the symptoms. A complete medical history including sexual symptoms, and any other symptoms will be noted along with any history of disease. Any past or current medications and surgeries will also be noted. A complete physical exam will then be conducted including the genitals. Blood tests will be drawn to determine hormone levels. These blood tests may be repeated at intervals.

Treatment:

Common treatment for loss of testosterone has been Testosterone Replacement Therapy. There has been some concern over the connection between this replacement therapy and prostate cancer. There have however been no studies to prove the connection between the two. There has been another concern that this type of replacement therapy may increase the male’s risk for heart disease as increasing the “male androgen levels would also increase both serum cholesterol and serum LDL-Cholesterol levels, according to Drs Caroline and Andrew Dott, who are professional lecturers and teachers.

One of the oral forms of testosterone that is available in the USA for males diagnosed with male menopause contains methyltestosterone which when used over a period of time has been shown to damage the liver as cited in The Physicians Desk Reference.

The subdermal pellets are implanted under the skin and slowly dissolve over a period of 3 to 4 months. The injections need to be given either weekly or bi-weekly.

Once replacement therapy has started the testosterone that is produced within the body ceases to be produced and replacement therapy must be continued throughout the balance of lifetime. This is why males who have not lost all natural production but only have low levels must be careful concerning replacement therapy.

The benefits of treatment:

Males who undergo hormone replacement therapy experience an improvement in health and in their sense of well-being. One symptom (impotence) does not respond well to this replacement therapy.

The different forms of testosterone treatment available are:

Pills

Injections

Subdermal Pellets

Treatment is something that should be discussed with the medical professional and all risks weighted carefully. Treatment is something that is long-term and both the health risks and costs must be considered. The benefits may outweigh the risks especially for males who are having difficulty coping with family life or work. There are fewer risks associated with natural testosterone treatment.

Tag:male menopause, menopause diagnosis, menopause treatment

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