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Understanding the male menopause phenomenon and how it relates to
anxiety is of great importance to all you men out
there that feel it only happens to someone else. Women also need to
understand that it is the psychological changes and physical effects
of Andropause that are causing their men folk to
behave in a certain way.
In simple terms, Andropause refers to male menopause, wherein men
experience a phenomenon similar to the female menopause. This occurs
due to the gradual decline in testosterone level. However, the fact
remains that the whole concept of Andropause is considerably more
controversial and that is why men often experience feelings of panic
since they lack knowledge of the known cause.
Causes of Male Menopause and the Subsequent Feelings of
Anxiety
The main cause of Andropause is the reduction in the production
levels of Testosterone, which is the male hormone produced in the
testes and in the adrenal glands. This has a unique effect on every
man's total body. This hormone helps to build protein and is
essential for normal sexual behavior and producing erections. It
also affects many metabolic activities such as production of blood
cells in the bone marrow, bone formation, liver function and
prostate gland growth.
Since testosterone, levels drop by about 10% every decade of a man’s
life after he reaches the age of 30, every man experiences a decline
of bio-available testosterone but some men's levels dip lower than
others do. This leads to side effects of male menopausal symptoms,
like anxiety and feelings of panic.
The anxiety felt by many men is associated with the aging male
syndrome as he goes through a complex set of physical and cognitive
changes that occur due to a drop in his testosterone level. Loss of
energy and vitality, possible hot flashes and night sweats as well
as an increase in body weight can all be cause for men going through
Andropause and trigger off frequent feelings of panic and
negativity. However, if dealt with able counseling and guidance
about the issue being a natural change, men can overcome these
feelings.
Impact of Bodily Changes and Anxiety during Andropause: Additional
Emotional and Physical Issues
For men going through Andropause and for their partners, the impact
of the bodily changes and psychological side effects linked with low
testosterone levels are a very real problem. It can be very
demoralizing for men to experience unnatural depression, weight
gain, muscle loss, irritability and a change in sleep patterns, all
of which may lead to them experiencing anxiety that they are not
used to having.
This can lead men to experience a decrease in sexual drive and
occasional erectile dysfunction. All of these closely linked bodily
patterns of Andropause have a significant impact on the man’s
quality of life.
Testosterone Replacement Therapy for Treating Andropause and
Anxiety Caused Thereafter
TRT is the preferred option for men with low testosterone levels,
especially after experiencing Andropause; however not all doctors
recommend it. Medical practitioners feel it is significantly better
for men to go in for counseling so that they can better understand
Andropause changes and treat these as normal parts of aging, instead
of focusing inwardly on some assumed lack of manliness.
If left untreated, this anxiety issue, related with
low testosterone levels during Andropause, could
wrongly work its way in to feelings of low self-esteem and poor
self-image; clinical depression in the extreme
cases is also a reality for many Andropausal men.
Information in this article is for educational purposes only, and
is not intended as medical advice.
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