One might wonder why it has taken until this week for Time Magazine to have as their cover story: "Manopause?! Aging, Insecurity and the $2 Billion Testosterone Industry."
Of course all women, if they live long enough, go through "the change" -- the two to five year period where mood swings, hot flashes, gaining weight eating a lettuce leaf, and night sweats accompany the loss of progesterone (100 percent -- yes all of it!), testosterone (70 percent) and estrogen (97 to 99 percent). With these changes in the hormonal makeup, comes the final stage of a woman's development -- the cessation of her monthly period. Twelve months after her last period, a woman is and will be forever post-menopausal.
Women have come to realize that being a post-menopausal woman can, with the right attitude, daily exercise, and having purpose, be the best years. Women actually have a bit of biological help with this. A post-menopausal woman no longer has high levels of estrogen -- the hormone that makes them want to procreate, continue the species, focus on the home and try to keep the peace. She is now testosterone dominant. We are all well versed in what testosterone does for men in the first half of their lives -- it makes them confident and focus outside the home.
So what about Manopause? The scientific name is andropause, and men who suffer with andropause find themselves with a decreased sex drive, lower energy, reduced strength and endurance, erections that are less strong, a diminished ability to play sports, and a decreased zest for life. Falling asleep after dinner as well as a constant questioning of values, accomplishments and future directions are also classic symptoms of lower testosterone.
No man ever wants to contemplate the possibility of male menopause. They want to leave all of this to the female sex. Men have suffered for years thinking that they have depression and other health issues instead of the natural dwindling of their testosterone levels. Currently, doctors aren't sure what percentage of the older male population suffers from andropause -- as low as 10 percent and as high as 100 percent.
Of course all women, if they live long enough, go through "the change" -- the two to five year period where mood swings, hot flashes, gaining weight eating a lettuce leaf, and night sweats accompany the loss of progesterone (100 percent -- yes all of it!), testosterone (70 percent) and estrogen (97 to 99 percent). With these changes in the hormonal makeup, comes the final stage of a woman's development -- the cessation of her monthly period. Twelve months after her last period, a woman is and will be forever post-menopausal.
Women have come to realize that being a post-menopausal woman can, with the right attitude, daily exercise, and having purpose, be the best years. Women actually have a bit of biological help with this. A post-menopausal woman no longer has high levels of estrogen -- the hormone that makes them want to procreate, continue the species, focus on the home and try to keep the peace. She is now testosterone dominant. We are all well versed in what testosterone does for men in the first half of their lives -- it makes them confident and focus outside the home.
So what about Manopause? The scientific name is andropause, and men who suffer with andropause find themselves with a decreased sex drive, lower energy, reduced strength and endurance, erections that are less strong, a diminished ability to play sports, and a decreased zest for life. Falling asleep after dinner as well as a constant questioning of values, accomplishments and future directions are also classic symptoms of lower testosterone.
No man ever wants to contemplate the possibility of male menopause. They want to leave all of this to the female sex. Men have suffered for years thinking that they have depression and other health issues instead of the natural dwindling of their testosterone levels. Currently, doctors aren't sure what percentage of the older male population suffers from andropause -- as low as 10 percent and as high as 100 percent.
If you are looking for a female gynecologist