Menopause - causes, symptoms, diagnosis and and treatment

Female and Male Menopause has been the issue of debate among the medical fraternity for many years. And while more physicians and medical professionals agree to the existence of a male menopause, there is still no foolproof evidence that confirms the presence of one as in the case of women. Despite this there is clinical proof that there are some changes in the levels of male hormones in men after the age of 40. As age progresses, the levels of serum testosterone levels drop gradually. The fact that the drop occurs extremely gradually and that the decline in testosterone levels is only about 1% drop per annum the effects of the drop is not felt suddenly. This is precisely the reason why a male menopause has not been confirmed by the medical fraternity without doubt. On the other hand there are cases where the testosterone levels fall to such low levels that it results in a condition called hypogonadism, a condition of incompetence of the glands resulting in reduction in secondary sex characteristics like body and pubic hair, facial hair in men and the like. The psychological menopause symptoms that one can see in males are similar to those that women experience too. The only difference is that the changes cannot be immediately attributed to the reduction in male hormone levels. Another very prominent reason why the condition is mistaken for others is the fact that similar symptoms can be observed in other conditions like anemia, clinical depression, financial or job related problems and thyroid gland dysfunction.

The cause of a male menopause signs is a reduction in the levels of testosterone. This drop can occur anytime after the age of 40. Since the range of normal levels of testosterone are wide, in some cases the gradual drop does not really bring the levels below normal and therefore some men never really feel the symptoms at all.

If the physical symptoms of male menopause become difficult to handle, there are various options that one can explore. However, before a treatment option is prescribed, all other likely cause of the symptoms should be tested. If the symptoms are not due to lower levels of testosterone, treatment can cause irrevocable side effects.

If it is confirmed that the patient is undergoing a male menopause and needs to be treated, current levels of testosterone need to be checked. Post that the correct dose of testosterone needs to be ascertained before it can be injected into the system to provide relief some of the symptoms of the male menopause.

Testosterone levels for relief from symptoms scan be administered in various ways. Hormone replacement therapy can be administered by using testosterone gels or patches or the hormone can even be injected into the system. These options for menopause symptoms treatment should only be explored if the management of physiological changes is becoming extremely difficult.