What Is Andropause And How Are Your Hormones Connected To It?

Declining testosterone levels are a real and significant health concern for men, especially as they age.

“Andras” in Greek means “men,” and “pause” means to stop. Accordingly, andropause, as defined by clinical research, is “a syndrome associated with a decrease in sexual satisfaction or a decline in a feeling of general well-being with low levels of testosterone in older man.”

Discover the truth about andropause in men. Read about its causes and symptoms and find out how testosterone therapy may help prevent and treat it.

What is andropause?

Sometimes medical providers refer to andropause as “male menopause,” the masculine version of feminine menopause in which the ovaries stop releasing eggs and large hormonal changes occur in women, usually in their late 40s or 50s.

Andropause, or clinically low testosterone, is also known as “hypogonadism.”

The underlying mechanism of andropause is a loss of testosterone, the main male sex hormone responsible for all of men’s secondary sex characteristics as well as building muscle, maintaining high energy levels, and regulating mental health, among other functions.

Men’s T levels drop by an average of 1% per year every year after puberty. Unfortunately, that means that men in their 40s/50s have, on average 20-30% less testosterone than a young man in their early 20s. In many instances, due to lifestyle and environmental factors, these deficits are even more severe.

The bad news for the modern American man is that research has indicated a generational decline in testosterone levels. You enjoy less of this power-generating hormone than your father and even less than your grandfather when he was your age. Via Forbes:

“Studies show that men’s testosterone levels have been declining for decades. The most prominent, a 2007 study in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, revealed a “substantial” drop in U.S. men’s testosterone levels since the 1980s, with average levels declining by about 1% per year. This means, for example, that a 60-year-old man in 2004 had testosterone levels 17% lower than those of a 60-year-old in 1987.”

These declines in testosterone result in numerous symptoms that we’ll explore in an upcoming section.

Andropause is diagnosed using a blood test to measure testosterone levels. In particular, medical providers look for “free testosterone” – the form of testosterone that is bioavailable – levels rather than total testosterone counts.

Do all men experience andropause?

Most men experience drops in testosterone levels as they age. Once testosterone levels peak – typically shortly after puberty in a man’s early 20s – they tend to decline at a rate of approximately 1% per year. That means that most men experience enormous drops in testosterone levels between the ages of 20 and 70 – potentially by almost half.

However, not all men experience andropause. Low testosterone levels are not unavoidable. Multiple proven therapies such as testosterone replacement therapy (TRT), as well as important lifestyle and dietary changes, can effectively prevent andropause and reverse it in men experiencing symptoms.

What are the symptoms of andropause?

Here are the major symptoms of andropause, ranging from mild to severe in terms of the health risk they pose:

• fat redistribution, including the development of visceral fat (belly fat) or “man boobs” (aka gynecomastia)
• impaired athletic performance
• inability to sleep (insomnia)
• poor concentration/short-term memory
• mood swings, depression, anxiety, or other mental health issues
• chronic fatigue (increased tiredness)
• age-related muscle loss (sarcopenia)

Not only does testosterone deficiency reduce a man’s quality of life but it also places you at greater risk of long-term chronic health conditions:

“Hypogonadism is highly prevalent in men older than 45 years and is associated with an increased risk of chronic diseases, including obesity, metabolic syndrome, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.”

Keeping testosterone levels in the optimal range is essential for long-term health and longevity throughout the aging process.

What causes menopause in men?

Testosterone deficiency, or “male menopause,” has several documented causes. In most cases, hypogonadism is the result of several causal factors, so it’s difficult to pin down a single cause.

Here are known risk factors for menopause in men:

• Sedentary lifestyle. Most men don’t get enough exercise. The most important form of physical activity for healthy testosterone levels is high-intensity, short-duration work like weightlifting or high-intensity interval training (HIIT).
• Poor diet. The standard American diet (SAD) – high in processed foods, seed oils, and simple carbs – is literally the worst eating plan that a man can engage in.
• Lack of adequate sleep. Men require 7-9 hours of high-quality, restful slumber each night to maintain optimal hormone levels.
• Certain medications. Some drugs like antihistamines, blood pressure medications, beta-blockers, and antidepressants can suppress testosterone levels.
• Testicle injury
• Anabolic steroid use
• Chemotherapy/radiation therapy
• Tumors

How to recognize low testosterone levels?

If you’ve experienced any of the symptoms described above – especially low energy levels, loss of interest in sex, or mental health issues – and you are an older male, there’s a decent chance that you are one of the millions of men with diagnosable testosterone deficiencies.

Contact an endocrinologist if you have noticed these symptoms. He can help to diagnose low testosterone levels using lab work. If you are, in fact, deficient in testosterone, he can get you on TRT to reverse the condition and restore your masculine vitality.

How testosterone therapy helps treat andropause

Testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) supports healthy testosterone levels in men by augmenting natural testosterone with bioidentical synthetic testosterone, usually in the form of a drug called testosterone cypionate.

The body utilizes this synthetic hormone in exactly the same way as natural testosterone because it is the same molecule. The results that men experience, accordingly, are often dramatic and life-changing.

Research shows that TRT is incredibly safe and effective, having been administered to millions of men worldwide over the course of several decades. Via Annual Review of Medicine:

“Testosterone treatment of older men with low testosterone levels improves overall sexual activity, sexual desire, and erectile function; improves areal and volumetric bone density, as well as estimated bone strength in the spine and the hip; corrects unexplained anemia of aging; increases skeletal muscle mass, strength and power, self-reported mobility, and some measures of physical function; and modestly improves depressive symptoms.”

Men who receive TRT report the following benefits:

• Higher energy levels
• Restored enthusiasm for life
• Restored libido
• Increased muscle mass
• Improved sleep quality
• Enhanced athletic performance
• Harder, firmer erections
• Augmented mental health
• Greater focus and concentration

Is it possible to prevent male menopause?

Lowered testosterone levels are common in aging men, but they are not unavoidable. There are definitely strategies that you can use to keep your levels in the optimal range, including:

• Weightlifting or high-intensity interval training at least a few times per week
• Keeping a regular sleep schedule (going to bed at night and getting up at the same time every morning)
• Cleaning up your diet (eliminate processed foods and adopt a low-carb eating pattern high in healthy fats)
• Intermittent fasting (increases luteinizing hormone, or LH, a testosterone precursor, by as much as 67%)
• Supplement with vitamin D, zinc, ginger, and saw palmetto
• Practice stress management with meditation and yoga
• Avoid estrogen mimickers like bisphenol-A (BPA) and parabens, found in many consumer products

Also, from a diagnostic standpoint, it’s always a good idea to keep tabs on your testosterone levels with regular testing. Blood tests for testosterone levels are increasingly affordable, even on a budget. Your hormone doctor can help to interpret your results and recommend any lifestyle adjustments or therapies to keep your levels high.