“Men”opause – Male Hormones

The “mid-life crisis” that affects men in their 40’s and 50’s has never been well understood in medical terms. We now know that men go through hormonal changes in their middle years, just like women do. It’s been termed “andropause”, and it can be just as debilitating and emotionally challenging as menopause can be for women.

Men and women have the same sex hormones in their bodies, just in different proportions. Men have a predominance of testosterone, while their estrogen levels are supposed to be much lower than those of women.

Testosterone is commonly regarded as a “sex hormone”, but it’s really so much more than that – it’s a “total body hormone” affecting every cell in the body. As men age, their hormone levels change and this causes a range of effects in the body, including a loss of muscle mass, weight gain especially around the abdomen, decreased libido and sexual function, and depression.
Hormone changes in men are also associated with a range of significant degenerative diseases, including heart disease, stroke, diabetes, arthritis, osteoporosis and hypertension.

There are several changes in the hormones that contribute to andropause. One is a reduction in free testosterone. This is the testosterone that is “unbound” in the body, and therefore free to exert its effects. But low testosterone is just part of the picture. Research shows that as men age, they convert more of their testosterone to estrogens. In fact, it is the increase in estrogens that is thought to be responsible for Benign Prostatic Hypertrophy (BPH), which is extremely common. Men also have increased levels of Sex Hormone Binding Globulin (SHBG), a protein that binds testosterone and leaves less of the free, active testosterone in the blood.
Bio-identical hormone therapy can therefore be just as effective and important for men as it is for women. Lab testing is crucial to determine the levels of active, “free’, and bound testosterone, estrogens, DHEA and other markers such as Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA), which is important in assessing BPH and prostate cancer. Once this information is gathered, a regimen of natural hormones and specific nutrient and herb supplementation can be prescribed to help boost the free testosterone levels, decrease the excess estrogens, and protect the prostate gland.

There are many potential benefits of hormone replacement therapy for men, including increased feeling of well-being, increased libido and greater sexual performance and satisfaction, increased strength and stamina and greater muscle mass, and weight loss (especially around the abdomen). There are also longer term benefits such as protection against cardiovascular disease and neurological diseases including Alzheimer’s. For men taking anti-depressants, which frequently have negative sexual side effects, hormone rebalancing may provide a much more desirable outcome.

Andropause is not just a psychological phenomenon – it’s a very real physiological change involving the hormones that keep men young and healthy!

Summary – Benefits of bio-identical hormone replacement for men:

Increase well-being
Increased strength and stamina
Weight loss – especially abdominal fat
Cardioprotective benefits – strengthens heart muscle, decreased cholesterol, natural blood thinner
Neuroprotective benefits – including protection against Alzheimer’s disease.
Increased libido and sexual performance
Protective against BPH and possibly prostate cancer

Age-related changes that may be due to changes in testosterone levels:

Loss of lean body mass
Decline in energy, strength and stamina
Unexplained depression
Decrease in sexual sensation and performance

Diseases associated with hormone changes:

Heart disease
Stroke
Diabetes
Arthritis
Depression
Osteoporosis
Hypertension