Diagnosis of Male
Menopause (Andropause)
As with many areas
related to testosterone treatment of the adult male, there is a wide range of views within
the medical profession about how andropause should be defined and diagnosed.
Generally a consensus is emerging that the andropause is ‘when men
exhibit several of the symptoms and/or clinical features of reduced testosterone
availability to various systems or organ functions’1. The very characteristic
symptoms have been well recognized and documented for over sixty years, as listed in the
table below. Although not all the symptoms
need to be present to suspect that a man may be andropausal, the most common ones are lack
of libido, potency, and energy, often associated with depression and irritability.
If several of these symptoms are present it is worth seeking advice
from your physician, and having not only the total testosterone measured, but more
importantly the free testosterone, which is the active fraction. Also, the fact that some
‘High-Testosterone’ men need higher levels of testosterone than other people
needs to be taken into account when interpreting laboratory hormone measurements2.
There is also a range of factors which may contribute to a persons liability
to develop the Andropause. These include adult mumps, orchitis and other testicular
problems, prostate operations or inflammations, persistent urinary infections, vasectomy,
diabetes and obesity.
symptom tables and references |