Andropause (male menopause): causes, signs, adjustment. Andropause in men: symptoms and treatment

Andropause in men, or male menopause, is a common phenomenon, and not a single elderly member of the stronger sex can avoid it. The first symptoms appear closer to fifty, are not always disturbing and, as practice shows, in most men they go unnoticed.

The inevitable decrease in testosterone production, the main marker of sexual adolescence, inexorably leads to a general deterioration physical health and can cause mental lability. Let's consider the main typical moments of menopause in men and possible ways treatment of its manifestations. What is andropause?

Hormonal decline

The term “andropause” refers to a condition that occurs as a result of age-related hormonal changes in the body of a man. The main factor of sexual aging in men is the decrease with age in the synthesis of androgen hormones, which indirectly affect almost all functions of vital organs.

The resulting testosterone deficiency leads to the appearance of a complex of symptoms, referred to by experts as “biochemical syndrome”. Among them:

Sexual problems.
Changes in mood.
Bad feeling.

The difference between male and female menopause is that it is less severe, but its symptoms often complicate the lives of “not yet old” representatives of the stronger sex.

Soreness and appearance of more serious problems health problems associated with andropause often require treatment. In order to adequately respond to an unpleasant condition that has arisen and know how to help himself, a man of any age must have an idea of what testosterone is and what its role is in the body.

Age dynamics

Testosterone is a male sex hormone, mainly synthesized by the testes and in small quantities by the adrenal cortex. Responsible for virilization in men and performs following functions in organism:

Maintenance sexual activity.
Sperm production.
Affects the development of muscle tissue and bones.
Keeps your mood in good shape.

Testosterone in a man’s body affects the development of muscle tissue and bones.

The peak level of androgenic hormone in men occurs between 20 and 25 years of age, at the end of puberty. Upon reaching puberty, the amount of the hormone becomes relatively stable, largely depends on the sexual constitutional characteristics of the individual and can be:

Closer to upper limit(strong sexual type).
Have an average value (average type).
Be at the lower limits of normal (weak type).

For your information, reference values for testosterone in men are age period 18-50 years: 8.64-29 nmol/l. From the moment of andropause the indicators begin to decline.

Starting from the age of 45, and in some cases earlier, the concentration of androgens gradually decreases, this is the beginning of menopause in men. This process is especially noticeable after 55-60 years. This is a period of increasing symptoms and decreased sexual function.

Typical manifestations

The symptoms of menopause, although specific, can differ markedly from person to person. different men. The majority of the elderly male population does not notice the arrival of sexual “sunset” at all. In this case, the decrease in testosterone production occurs gradually (up to 1% per year) and special problems does not bring it to its owner.

Not everyone is so lucky, and it happens that menopause occurs more noticeably, and the symptoms of androgen deficiency cause quite a lot of physiological and psychological inconvenience to a man. The main symptoms of androgen deficiency:

Physiological

Decreased sexual activity.
Erection problems.
Disappearance of orgasm.
Prostatic disorders.
Reduced muscle mass.
Increased body fat.
Decreased bone density.
Vascular problems, autonomic disorders (hypertension, arrhythmia, feeling of “heat”).
Baldness (alopecia).

When testosterone decreases in the body, problems with erection occur.

Psychological

Irritability, periods of angry outbursts.
Sudden mood swings.
Depressive states.
Insomnia.

It has been noticed that men of a strong sexual type have a more difficult time enduring menopause. Mental problems are often added to their physical suffering. Among these: non-acceptance of criticism, decreased mental flexibility and loss of former interest in life. This is enough difficult period, not everyone understands the main reason painful condition, so they are in no hurry to ask for help.

Specialized assistance

And yet, there is one. Andropause – natural process, which cannot be stopped, but it is quite possible to postpone and ease the course.

The cause of all troubles is testosterone deficiency, which certainly leads to a violation metabolic processes and decreased reproductive function. It is logical to assume that taking medications that can normalize the concentration of androgens in the blood plasma can reduce the manifestations of the disease state.

This treatment is successfully used, but only after full examination patient. Many parameters are taken into account: features of the course of menopause, the age of the man and the presence of concomitant diseases.

Currently, two methods of treating menopause in men are used:

Artificial stimulation of testosterone synthesis.
Hormone replacement therapy.

The principles of treatment methods differ, but the goal of therapy is the same:

Reduce symptoms and improve the health of the body.
Restore sexual function.
Remove autonomic disorders.
Increase muscle mass.
Normalize the psycho-emotional background.

Pathology can be treated by artificially stimulating testosterone synthesis.

Stimulating and replacement therapy

Stimulant therapy – relatively new method treatment of male menopause, in which the patient is prescribed luteinizing hormone (LH) drugs. The use of LH is based on its function: to stimulate Leiding cells involved in the production of testosterone and the maintenance reproductive functions body.

Luteinizing hormone has a number of serious contraindications; for this reason, it is prescribed only by an andrologist after a complete examination of the patient. How older age, the higher the percentage of contraindications to taking LH. During therapy hormonal drugs androgen levels are periodically monitored.

Replacement treatment is prescribed after determining the lack of total or free testosterone in a man’s body, which is determined by analysis. The prescription of testosterone-containing drugs, their dosage and the necessary therapeutic course are carried out by an andrologist or urologist. Independent use Sex hormones are dangerous for deteriorating health.

Useful events

Avoid or delay the onset androgen pause A number of proven recommendations will help a man. Combined with the main intake of hormones or used as separate measures:

Enlarge motor activity: this will help keep muscles toned, weight normal, and nerves in order. Age is not a barrier to adequate physical activity.
Eat right, including seafood and the “right” oils in your diet over a certain period of time will certainly have a positive effect on the condition of the body as a whole.
Train your memory, learn new things - this will bring back your former interest in life and make it richer. After some period of time, the body’s condition returns to normal.

Menopause in men is a difficult period, but it is not the end of life, including sexual life. Symptoms of andropause are not a serious obstacle to fulfilling, age-appropriate relationships. If its manifestations have completely tormented your body, contact a specialist, he will prescribe necessary remedy, treatment of which will improve sexual function, alleviate symptoms and delay the onset of andropause. Maybe it will even be hormones.

The word “menopause” has already become familiar: it is a period of decline and cessation of a woman’s reproductive abilities and menstrual cycle.

Much less is known about age-related changes in men. However, male menopause, also known as andropause, is an equally normal phenomenon. As a rule, the first changes in a man’s body occur at , although it is possible earlier.

What is the essence of andropause? First of all, it is characterized by a decrease in the level of the male sex hormone testosterone in the body. This causes both a decrease in libido and many other changes in the body. Often the process proceeds smoothly, almost imperceptibly, much more calmly than with the fair sex. However, some of the specifics of this period are somewhat similar to the female menopause.

Causes of andropause

The age of the person. In older men, quantitative and qualitative changes in sperm often occur; wise nature “slows down” their libido, gradually reducing it to nothing reproductive function. You should not assume that changes occur only in the genitals; the corresponding parts of the brain also begin to work differently, slowing down virile commands. An external sign of this is sometimes gynecomastia (enlargement of the mammary glands in men), and an internal sign is a decrease in interest in sexual activity.
Diseases and injuries. Carrying out a number of necessary surgical interventions, mechanical injuries and untimely treatment row infectious diseases, affecting the testicles, can also trigger the andropause mechanism.
Reception row medicines. Most often, the doctor warns the patient about this, and the patient (especially during treatment or neglected) has to choose between the risk to life and sexual power. Sometimes it's like this side effect If the medicine is out of sight of the supervising physician, the patient himself must carefully read the annotation to the drug and ask for it to be replaced.

Physical and physiological symptoms

At first, the symptoms appear weakly, barely noticeable for the man himself, some of them are invisible to his partner. Let's name them!

Changes in your sex life include:

Decreased sex drive (no need for frequent sex).
Slower onset of erection.
Incomplete erection.
Premature or excessively delayed ejaculation.
Inability to conceive a child.
Lack of full satisfaction, feeling tired after sexual contact.

Physical changes in the body are also common:

An increase in size, which makes itself felt by problems with urination (slowdown of the process) and unpleasant sensations in the crotch.
The degeneration of part of the muscle tissue into fatty tissue, which also provokes a decline in muscle strength.
Some, as a result of which shrinkage of the spine begins, slight decrease growth.
Changes in the proportions of the figure (“beer belly”, stoop).
Unprovoked pain in the spine and back muscles.
Sudden “locking” (numbness, with the impossibility of full movement) of the shoulder muscles - it, as a rule, goes away on its own after a few minutes.
Horse racing blood pressure, cardiac or tachycardia.
Feeling of heat, sweating, and other vegetative-vascular changes.
Faster fatigue, decreased performance.

It is worth paying attention to possible psychological and mental changes, changes in behavioral stereotypes:

Forgetfulness, difficulty concentrating.
Decreased flexibility of thinking (difficulty accepting ideas that contradict your opinion, comprehensively assessing the situation, making non-trivial decisions).
Irritability, nervousness, sleep disturbances.
Drowsiness in daytime, apathy, indifference to what he was interested in before (sports, cars, Sudoku, etc.).
Increased sensitivity to stress, tendency to depression.
The desire to “tailor” everything to oneself, criticizing opponents, family members and subordinates.
Intolerance to criticism, inadequate perception of it.

No person experiences all symptoms at the same time. But, having noticed at least 4-5 from the above long list, you should think about the state of your health and consult a doctor: a urologist, an andrologist, a psychologist to mitigate the identified phenomena and their maximum correction.

You should not deny the possibility of some changes appearing in the body, nor should you go to the other extreme: constantly monitor yourself to see if “ alarm bells" Only a physician can adequately assess the connection between unusual phenomena that have arisen and age, and pessimism can become one of the factors due to which apparent problems can develop into real ones.

Andropause is not a disease, but natural stage life. You need to take care of your health, but make a tragedy out of everyone minor change in the body, really, it’s not worth it.

Mitigation and treatment of andropause

In women, as a rule, it is more compressed in terms of duration; andropause in men is extended by long time, therefore, changes in the body increase gradually, sometimes unnoticed by a person. This does not prevent you from starting to take care of its smooth course in time.

Engage in prevention age-related changes stands long before their manifestation.

First of all, by loading yourself with physical and mental work: part of the testosterone is consumed, and sexual activity becomes less pronounced. How more loving man in middle age (), the higher his desire to put things aside in order to start another romance, the more difficult his andropause will subsequently be, both on a physical and psychological level. In people with average and not high level testosterone, aging occurs much easier, longer and more unnoticeably. Make it a rule for yourself to do morning exercises (with dumbbells, kettlebells, elastic bandage and other equipment), jogging, hiking on weekends, swimming in the pool. Master foreign languages, delve into what’s new in your profession or study a related one, think about and formulate your opinion in various areas public life. Load yourself up!

As you age, try not to decrease or slightly decrease both mental and physical activity(after all, testosterone levels in the blood decrease by only 0.7 - 1% per year, which is not much at all!). Down with the elevator: climbing the stairs to the third floor gives a person no less than a ten-minute walk. Limit your time sitting in front of the TV: even playing Tetris on the computer does more to keep your brain active. Try to plan something for yourself for the long term and bring ideas to life, this allows you to support nervous system V excellent condition(do yoga, write a book, learn how to design home appliances, create a computer phonebook, get and train a dog, etc.). You have to overcome your own laziness. If you know it will help you last longer, what more motivation do you need?

Don’t try to prove to everyone that you are still “wow”! Calmly accept the fact that your hair has thinned or turned grey, that you can’t walk along a hiking trail all day without a break, that girls pay attention to other men. There is nothing funnier, if you look from the outside, than an aging man with dyed hair trying to come first in a ski race and not succeeding. Take yourself for who you are: no one said that a gray-haired, elegant gentleman has less charm than a fussy, sweaty ladies' man.

Don't make a drama out of the fact that erectile function or libido has decreased. Your partner needs tenderness and prolonged caresses much more than violent intercourse (she’s not getting any younger either!). Experience, male experience is much more important for full sexual intercourse than the active attacks of a young man. Age is not a hindrance to experiments, sex life You can always diversify. Let your doctor decide whether to use Viagra. It is not harmful to someone if you do not abuse it, but for a person with hypertension or heart disease, the very first pill can be fatal. Selection individual funds, improving sexual function, it is better to entrust it to a specialist, urologist or andrologist.

Review yours. With age, the body's metabolism becomes less intense, so it is better to reduce the carbohydrate content in the diet. A glass of beer 1-2 times a week is quite enough; it is better to switch from sweet wines to dry ones; drink high-calorie strong drinks less often. Avoid eating pizza and cheeseburgers useful substances They contain little, and the calorie content is very high. But eating an apple will saturate the body with fiber, minerals, vitamins, and strengthen the facial muscles, preventing sagging skin and the development of wrinkles. Tomato - true friend men, an excellent means of preventing prostatitis! For lunch, be sure to add a salad of fresh or pickled vegetables, seasoned not with mayonnaise, but with vegetable oil, vinegar, and lemon. This will avoid age-related intestinal sluggishness, force the body to spend more calories on digesting food and, therefore, prevent the deposition of excess fat.

Salt your food a little less, try to eat vegetables without salt: this will bring back your childhood sensations of the natural taste of foods. We are not living in the period of the Holodomor, don’t try to eat more bread or potatoes, one slice of black or whole flour bread is enough for you, and potatoes twice a week.

Fats do not need to be particularly limited; they are less harmful than carbohydrates. It's better if they are natural products: butter, lard, rich soup with a good piece of meat, fish soup with “medals” on the surface, than processed products: smoked sausages, canned meat etc. Kebabs cooked over an open fire are much healthier than sausages, baked poultry is both tastier and healthier than deep-fried poultry.

The sooner you optimize your physical and mental load, adjust your diet, the later and less noticeable andropause will become.

Another important point. After 50 years, be sure to be examined by a urologist and check the condition of your prostate. Beginning prostatitis can actually be slowed down, but advanced prostatitis has to be operated on. Your job is to reduce risk.

Andropause and family

The support of loved ones will make the onset of andropause less painful.

Most of your wives' mothers and grandmothers lost their husbands in relatively at a young age, therefore, women, knowing very, very little about andropause, incorrectly interpret the changes in your body that occur with age.

Andropause in men does not manifest itself as clearly and quickly as menopause in women, and its onset lasts for about 15–20 years. About 40% of men aged 40, 50 and 60 experience, to varying degrees, the symptoms that characterize andropause - mood swings, increased irritability, depression, lethargy, and erection problems.

Concept male andropause more controversial, and many argue that it doesn't even exist. One of the reasons is that, unlike women, men do not have a clear external sign its onset (as the cessation of menstruation in women).

Symptoms of andropause, which begin to appear due to decreased hormone levels, are common and associated with aging. Modern lifestyle with high levels of stress, poor nutrition, as well as an increase in life expectancy (compared to our ancestors) has a significant impact on male body. The hormone-producing glands are forced to work harder and longer, and over time the endocrine system becomes unbalanced.

Men have this hormonal imbalance especially often associated with testosterone and (stress hormone). When the levels of these two hormones are outside the normal range, a man experiences symptoms of andropause.

Male andropause

Typically, a man begins to experience changes in his body and organism at the age of 40–55 years. They may be accompanied by mood swings. Acute andropause is relatively rare compared to menopause in women, since testicular function declines gradually in most men. Acute testicular failure in adult men is usually associated with:

viral infections such as mumps;
surgical removal or injury to the testicles and male reproductive tract;
diseases when the immune system attacks and destroys the testes (such as systemic lupus erythematosus);
genetic abnormalities that lead to premature testicular failure;
generalized vascular diseases such as diabetes;
chemotherapy;
pituitary tumors.

The second form of this syndrome is more common and insidious, as it develops gradually. It is often confused with psychological adjustment disorders because andropause in middle-aged men in this case quite closely mimics depression. In addition, its contribution to the violation endocrine system in men over 40 years old, bad habits and their consequences contribute, for example:

alcohol abuse,
addiction to nicotine,
hypertension (high blood pressure),
taking certain medications,
poor nutrition,
lack of exercise
poor blood circulation,
psychological problems.

Male hormones decrease gradually. Testosterone (in the testes), human (in the pituitary gland), and androstenedione (in the adrenal glands) begin to fall. For many men, this only begins to happen in their 60s or even 70s. But there are also those who encounter this much earlier, after 35. In addition, the blood contains the protein globulin (), which binds testosterone and makes it inactive. SHBG can increase and thereby decrease testosterone due to a number of conditions, including medical disorders and exposure to other hormones such as phytoestrogens (estrogens derived from plant sources, for example, ), and environment, estrogen-like compounds (pesticides, hormones used in the agro-industrial complex in animal feed, etc.). How more protein globulin in the blood, the less free biologically available testosterone.

ANDROPAUSE IN MEN: SYMPTOMS

Typical andropause symptoms in men (and their frequency) include:

Fatigue, loss of sense of well-being - 82%.
Pain in the joints and “stiffness” of the hands - 60%.
Hot flashes, sleep disturbances - 50%.
Depression - 70%.
Irritability and anger - 60%.
Decreased libido - 80%.
Reduced potency - 80%.
Premature aging.
Weight gain.
Changes in hair growth and skin quality.
Osteoporosis (weakening or loss of bone mass).
Hair loss in armpits and in the genital area.
Reduction of genital organs in size.

This list is somewhat similar to the signs of female menopause.

Additional male symptoms include:

erectile dysfunction,
sweating (especially at night),
loss of muscle mass,
problems with urination,
(increase mammary glands in men),
hair loss,
apnea during sleep (breath holding, snoring).

An imbalance of even one hormone causes disruption in the production of other hormones and leads to a domino effect. Men usually do not experience all of the above symptoms, but only a combination of several. Although these signs are related to andropause, they can also be symptoms of other diseases, such as problems with the adrenal glands or thyroid gland.

ANDROPAUSE IN MEN: TREATMENT

The symptoms listed above can be corrected with the help of bioidentical (natural, similar to substances naturally produced in the body) replacement hormone therapy. may prescribe the missing hormone, adjust nutrition, prescribe either herbal supplements or a specially designed fitness program.

Diagnostics and tests

To diagnose male andropause, blood levels are measured (or calculated). Free testosterone in men should be within the range of 300-1100 ng/dL or within 70-100% when calculated from total. T and globulin. When its content is less than 50%, men experience symptoms of andropause. Total testosterone should not be lower than 250‒400 ng/dl.

Treatment and prevention. Risks of replacement therapy

There is no evidence yet that replacement therapy testosterone (TRT) increases the risk of prostate cancer. However, men using synthetic testosterone supplements should have their serum lipid levels checked regularly (to avoid problems with cardiovascular system). Using natural T is safer than using the synthetic form, but may require transdermal administration.

When any hormone is introduced into the body from the outside, the iron that produces it usually stops functioning, and it is not always possible to predict how its work will be restored after discontinuation of therapy (or whether it will be restored). Men with borderline low level testost-on TRT is not always prescribed and only if there are indications and no contraindications.

For men with true testron deficiency, therapy typically improves quality of life, health and sense of well-being, and andropause symptoms almost completely disappear. However, impotence, or the inability to maintain an erection, does not respond as well to testosterone therapy, with the possible exception of men with severe hormone deficiencies, which accounts for approximately 8-16% of patients who come to doctors with erectile dysfunction. There is also no evidence that giving testron to men with borderline low levels of this hormone improves sexual function, Although sexual desire may be increased.

Interestingly, not only women experience menopause. It turns out that men can also suffer from a menopausal syndrome called andropause.

Andropause

So, andropause is a condition in which age-related transformations occur hormonal sphere in men. From birth to approximately 25 years of age, androgens in the blood of men increase. It is by the concentration of androgenic hormones that one can understand the degree of sexual constitution - whether it is strong or weak, or is in the average range.

From about the age of 30, testosterone levels begin to fall by 1-2% annually. If a 25-year-old guy has androgen levels at lower limit, then by the age of 40-45 he begins to have a pronounced androgen deficiency. If testosterone levels were initially high, then andropause may not begin even after 60 years.

Why is it developing?

Androgen pause develops in men under the influence of quite a variety of factors:

First of all, male menopause develops in older patients. They experience changes related to the quality of seed material, libido decreases, and reproductive capabilities gradually disappear.
Traumatic injuries or pathologies also have an extremely negative effect on testosterone levels. Surgeries, injuries, advanced sexually transmitted infections affecting the testicles - all this can also trigger the onset of the androgen pause.
Taking medications. Usually the doctor prescribes certain drugs warns patients that there are adverse reactions associated with decreased androgenic functions. Sometimes you have to choose between sexual opportunities or life, if we're talking about about taking androgenotoxic antitumor drugs.

Sometimes early attack androgen pause is caused by hereditary predisposition or disruptions in the pituitary-hypothalamic system.

How it manifests itself

The symptoms of andropause are divided into physical and physiological. At first, the man does not notice anything special, but over time he begins to notice sexual problems, which relate to physiological signs. These include decreased libido; a man can go for a long time without sexual intercourse. Patients also note a slow onset of erection, and when it does come, the man feels its weakening.

Sexual intercourse ends prematurely, early ejaculation is observed, while all sexual intercourse is in vain, the partner cannot conceive, because the composition of sperm is pathologically altered. After sexual intercourse, the patient does not experience sexual satisfaction, only fatigue.

As for physical changes, they manifest themselves in different symptoms:

There is a noticeable swelling of the prostate, which causes urinary difficulties, discomfort when emptying the bladder, etc.;
The figure changes, a stoop and a beer belly appear;
The degeneration of muscles into fat, as a result of which a man’s strength decreases and excess weight appears;
Frequent painful sensations like arthralgia or myalgia in the back;
Bone tissue loses its former density, which leads to a slight decrease in growth;
A man often feels short of breath, it seems to him that there is not enough air;
Efficiency drops, the man begins to get tired quickly;
He often goes numb muscle tissue on the face, neck, shoulders, which manifests itself as quite unpleasant sensations;
Hypersweating, frequent dizziness, hot flashes, other changes of a vegetative-vascular nature;
Frequent migraines, arrhythmia, pressure drops, etc.

Behavioral, mental and psychological changes may well occur. These include problems with concentration, flexibility of thinking is noticeably reduced, which is manifested in the categorical denial of ideas that contradict one’s own opinion.

A man becomes irritable and nervous, his sleep is disturbed, and he becomes prone to depression and stress.

If a man previously had some kind of hobby, now he loses all interest in it, becomes indifferent and apathetic to everything that happens. The man becomes very unpleasant person, trying to fit all members of the household (and not only) into his stereotypes, and he begins to harshly criticize other people. Moreover, the man does not tolerate criticism addressed to him and treats it very inadequately. Of course, a patient cannot observe all symptomatic manifestations, described above, but most of them usually always occur.

Symptoms of andropause in men

How to alleviate symptoms

If in women the menopausal period takes a fairly limited period, then in men these processes take quite a long time. This explains such erasure of symptoms and pathological changes. If a man puts more strain on himself mentally and physical activity, then such employment ensures the consumption of testosterone hormone, which leads to a decrease in libido and sexual activity. If a man is highly sexually active in middle age, then it will be more difficult for him in menopause, and therefore proper treatment is necessary.

It has been proven that if a man has average level testosterone, then andropause will be much easier for him. Therefore, middle-aged men are recommended to do gymnastics in the morning, engage in self-education, and learn something new. In general, try to burden yourself with something.

Drug therapy

Drug treatment of andropause involves hormonal therapy. Andropause is a natural process that occurs in the life of every man. There are no medications that will help stop the natural aging of a man, but some methods can slow down these processes, and quite significantly.

Depending on the intensity of the androgen pause, after a thorough diagnosis, medications containing testosterone synthetic origin. This hormone can be prescribed in the form of injections or tablets; the specific choice depends on the degree of disturbances in the prostatic tissues. Hormone replacement therapy, in addition to testosterone drugs, involves taking phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors such as Tadalafil, Sildenafil or Vardenafil.

Stimulating hormone therapy is also carried out, aimed at stimulating the body in order to force it to produce own testosterone. This therapy is prescribed to those patients whose testicular functions are still preserved.

Usually prescribed human chorionic gonadotropin LG. In addition to activating testosterone production, this drug also helps improve spermatogenesis. It is administered by injection, one injection every 5-10 days.

Folk recipes

There are many recipes traditional medicine, which also help to minimize the severity of symptoms of ongoing andropause:

You can use hawthorn flowers for this. Steam a large spoonful of flowers with a glass of boiling water and take half a glass of this infusion twice a day.
It is recommended to eat fresh daily pumpkin seeds without frying them.
Tincture of peony and calendula works well to slow down the onset of menopause. You need to take a large spoonful of chopped plants and pour ½ liter of boiling water over them. Leave for a day, then drink a dessert spoon three times a day.

Traditional recipes effectively help eliminate menopausal symptoms, however, they can only be used after consultation with an andrologist.

Lifestyle

The severity of his menopause will depend on the lifestyle a man leads. Patients are advised to devote more time to mental and physical activity. If you live in a building with an elevator, it is better not to use it at all, go up on foot. In the evening, it is recommended to walk for at least 10 minutes.

The diet also deserves attention. It should be based on the principles of PP and be balanced. More fruits and vegetable dishes, seafood, only lean meat - chicken or beef - must be present in the diet vegetable oils and nuts. But you should give up fatty and smoked foods, sausages and pickles, spicy or overly seasoned dishes, fast food and mayonnaise, sweets and legumes.

Male menopause is a rather difficult period, but it does not mean that life is over. The appearance of menopausal symptoms does not in any way prevent full sexual relations suitable for the specific age of the patient.

Don't try to prove to someone that you are still young. Try to be calmer about changes in appearance such as baldness and gray hair, reduction erectile functions etc. This is normal at your age, just try to accept the changes that are happening and take more care of your health.
In the video about the causes, manifestations and treatment of andropause in men:

Male menopause- such a phrase in Lately we hear more and more often. And naturally, it seems strange, because men do not menstruate. So does male menopause exist, is it a myth or reality?

Of course it's reality. Although the very concepts of “menopause”, “menopause” and “man” are incorrect to compare, nevertheless, there is a pause in a man’s life, but not a menopause, but an androgenic pause, or andropause. This period of life is associated with the decline of reproductive function.

What is androgen pause?

Doctors started talking about the androgen pause relatively recently. It was believed that a man’s ability to conceive, or fertility, remained with him until his death, and to the same extent as at 25 years old. The statistics in this regard speak their own: most men after 35 years of age lose their fertility, which by the end of life drops by 50 percent, and this is at best.

But The biological clock men differ from women (and this is quite natural): a decrease in fertility does not mean its absolute end. What happens during the androgen pause? The level of male sex hormones - androgens - is steadily decreasing, which is accompanied by a deterioration in sperm parameters - quantitative and qualitative, as well as a decrease sexual desire and capabilities (meaning erection level). The listed fertility indicators can be preserved to some extent, and this largely depends on the physical form of the man, his nutrition, the presence or absence of diseases, the presence bad habits and other factors. Over the years, the quantity and quality of sperm deteriorate, but sperm production increases with genetic abnormalities, which may well lead to the birth of sick children, for example, with hemophilia, Down syndrome.

What role does testosterone play?

The male sex hormone testosterone plays a fundamental role in conception. Testosterone is responsible for the development of secondary reproductive organs, facial hair, muscles, and sexual interest. When testosterone levels are low, men experience decreased sexual interest. Such men are usually physically weak, have a non-conflict attitude, and are distinguished by high intelligence, creativity, creative abilities. The opposite trend is observed in men whose testosterone levels are higher than normal: increased sexual interest, aggressiveness, physical activity, competitiveness, focus on development and career growth.

It happens slowly, starting at age 30, at about 1% per year. There is a decrease in testosterone in obesity, long-term use fatty foods. This leads to an increase in erectile problems, since fats contain estrogen-like compounds (estragen is a female sex hormone), which interfere with the production of testosterone. Excess fat in the blood clogs the arteries that supply blood to the penis. This is why optimal sexual health requires regular exercise.

What causes low testosterone levels?

Depressive states.
Fatigue, tiredness.
Memory impairment.
Decreased sexual desire.
Increased sweating.
Headache.
Increased body weight, decreased muscle mass.

Interesting: waist size healthy man with an average height of 94 cm; with a larger waist circumference, we can say that a man has lower testosterone levels.

How to maintain erectile function longer?

Erectile function- the main indicator of a man’s health. Dysfunction, or the inability to achieve and maintain a stable erection, occurs for many reasons. These are age, smoking and alcohol, taking medications, obesity, illness, high cholesterol, sedentary image life. In short, everything that has a bad effect on the activity of the heart. Everything that is bad for the heart is bad for your erection. An erection is not maintained due to poor blood supply to the penis.

Naturally, following simple principles healthy image life, you can delay the onset of andropause. A man can become a father even after 50 years of age, but he needs to try hard for this.