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Manopause?

Looking Into Andropause and the Low T Factor

By Teri Brown

Male menopause has almost, but not quite, reached urban myth proportions. Some medical doctors and psychologists claim that it is a very real condition while still others dismiss it as myth. Do men really go through an experience similar to menopause?

Dr. Laurence Levine, professor of urology and director of male sexual health and fertility at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, Ill., believes that what many people refer to as male menopause, or andropause, is actually due to low testosterone levels. "Some men have below normal levels of testosterone," says Dr. Levine. "Hypogonadism is the scientific name for this medical condition; some people use the word andropause to describe the condition when it affects older men. I prefer to call it androgen deficiency in aging men (ADAM), low testosterone or, more simply, low T. Whatever term you use, low testosterone is a very real medical condition that can affect a man's quality of life."

Symptoms of low testosterone in men may include diminished interest in sex, erectile dysfunction, reduced muscle mass and strength, decreased bone density, depression and fatigue.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) estimates that four million to five million American men may suffer from low testosterone, or hypogonadism, but only 5 percent of those men are currently treated.

Can low testosterone levels fully explain the andropause condition?

Joseph Orr, a 52-year-old retired chiropractor and father of four from Portland, Ore., isn't sure that male menopause exists, but has noticed a tendency to become depressed more easily as he has aged. "I am not sure that I would call it male menopause, exactly," says Orr. "I think for myself and many other men, middle age means realizing that some of the dreams and aspirations you had in your youth are not going to happen. Add that to the gradual loss of physical prowess and I understand why midlife can be tricky for men to navigate."

Jed Diamond, psychotherapist and author of Surviving Male Menopause: A Guide for Women and Men (Sourcebooks, 2000) and The Irritable Male Syndrome: Managing the Key Causes of Depression and Aggression

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• Talk about it!