Menopause? Testosterone does not make you sick

No menopause: Falling testosterone does not make you sick

07/03/2013

Middle-aged men often have to deal with problems in their sexual lives and diminishing performance. Often, these are associated with declining testosterone, but that's not always true.

In men, there are no menopause
Decreased sexual desire, erectile dysfunction, diminishing energy: Such and other problems are often pushed onto men's menopause. Often comes with the question of whether you can help the men in middle age with the gift of the sex hormone testosterone. However, according to studies, the said complaints would be only conditionally related to the testosterone level in the blood. Therefore, experts suggest to check exactly whether an administration of the hormone makes sense, as there are also certain risks. As you get older, your testosterone levels drop more and more. In addition, men around the age of 50 make physical and psychological changes. However, Prof. Sabine Kliesch, Chief Physician for Clinical Andrology at the University Hospital Münster said: "Menopause, as we know it from women, does not exist in men."

Age-related degradation in the testes
The changes in male aging are therefore not the same as the abrupt drop in female hormones that occurs in mid-life women. The testosterone level in the blood of the male decreases from around the age of 40 onwards. According to Kliesch of the German Society of Urology by an estimated 1.2 percent per year. This is due to age-related degradation in the testes or in the brain regions that control the hormone balance. Testosterone performs a variety of functions, including muscle building, bone density and red blood cell production, as well as metabolism in adipose tissue, sex life and reproductive ability. "A drop in testosterone in the blood alone does not make a man ill," says Kliesch.

Useful if certain diseases additionally occur
A few years ago, a European study examined the relationship between hormone and physical and mental discomfort. If anything, only three sexual-related symptoms had a direct link with decreased testosterone levels: erectile dysfunction, less sexual desire, and fewer morning erections. According to Kliesch, medical professionals become aware when they fall below a certain level of testosterone and suffer from disorders such as lipid metabolism disorders, ("") obesity or diabetes. In such cases, treatment with testosterone may be useful because the hormone influences these conditions and these in turn affect testosterone levels.

Higher risk of heart attacks and strokes
Prof. Wolfgang Weidner, President of the German Society of Andrology, stated: "Before starting therapy, it must be ruled out that a man has overt prostate cancer or breast cancer." The prostate should also be examined regularly, as well as Proportion of red blood cells in the blood. "Testosterone stimulates the formation of blood, and it can be easier to clot at high levels with a higher risk of heart attacks or strokes." Psychologist Kurt Seikowski of the University of Leipzig has been dealing for more than 30 years with complaints such as depression, sleep or concentration disorders in men. He is asked again and again whether the gift of testosterone could help. The chairman of the Society for Sexual Science criticizes: "Especially when the boom came up with drugs like Viagra, there was almost relief for men: We have medications, can stay strong and do not have to think about our psyche."

Natural home remedies
Men would now rather accept that their ability would decrease from 40 and they would have to think about recovery breaks. Along with this new awareness, they also ask more questions about whether hormones or other supplements are the right solution. Thus, both some men and women think of natural home remedies to treat their sexual problems. Thus, for example, the libido can be strengthened by natural home remedies as well as the potency in the strict sense, unless organic diseases are behind the disorders, which should then be clarified by a doctor. Especially because the age of organic disorders and stress plays the main role in the causation of potency disorders, the handle on strengthening home remedies should take precautionary at a young age. In a small study especially men between the ages of 48 and 55 described a greatly diminished life satisfaction. "In the following years, however, they have mostly adapted again," says Seikowski. Therefore, the English term "midlife crisis" is still the most appropriate. (Ad)