KissMeGoodnight
eLearning Series:
Your Sexual Health
Is
Male Menopause For Real?
The male testosterone, which is secreted primarily
from the testicles and secondarily from the adrenal glands,
is crucial in male development. It is also known that serum
testosterone levels do decline with advancing age, beginning
in the mid-forties. In addition, the size and weight of the
testicles decrease with age. Seventy-year-old males may be
expected to have approximately 50 percent of the testosterone
concentrations found in men half their age.
However, almost all older men still have serum testosterone
levels that are in a range considered normal. Testosterone
levels in men, who demonstrate varying levels of erectile ability,
usually fall within the normal range, indicating that testosterone
itself is usually not a cause of impotence. However, while
low testosterone is generally not responsible for impotence,
it may cause a loss of interest in sex.
As
a man enters middle age, he will experience many changes
in his emotional health. A man may realize for
the first time
that many of his early aspirations, either personal or occupational,
are not where he expected. In addition, he may feel like there
is really nothing to look forward to in life. Many women state
that they know their partner is going through a "change
of life." However, the fact is that this is probably not
a physiological change but rather a psychological one.
Some men today believe they should be able to perform sexually
like they did at a younger age. They expect that foreplay,
erections, vaginal penetration, ejaculation, and orgasm will
follow in an automatic sequence. Since most bodily functions,
including sexual drive, vary from day to day, the chances of
not living up to a predetermined standard are significant.
In fact, there is a great tendency for men, especially those
of middle age, to believe that they are sexual underachievers.
It is imperative that these men and their female partners
realize that sexual performance will vary from time to time.
They should understand that there are no set standards that
must be met on every occasion. A sympathetic and considerate
female partner is one of the most important factors in continuing
potency in the male. Men and their partners should take heart
in the knowledge that sex, like a fine wine, may improve with
aging.
While
scientists disagree about male menopause, the ultimate
experts on the subject, middle-aged men, express few doubts
that it exists. The term menopause may actually be a misnomer
when applied to men. Their reproductive glands do not all shut
down the way women's ovaries do. What happens is more gradual
than female menopause, and is not universal. Women's estrogen
levels decline suddenly, while men lose only 0.5% of testosterone
annually, beginning at age 40, rarely dipping below healthy
levels. This also has nothing to do with fertility.
A healthy proportion of men can sire children well into older
age. Therefore, biology does not seem to explain male menopause.
Unlike women, men do not usually have hot flashes (although
rare cases, caused by a sudden drop in testosterone, have been
documented). However, men do have some symptoms. Many men are
dealing with their bad habits catching up with them. Smoking,
a lack of exercise and fatty foods may bring on sexual problems
and muscle loss. Aging makes men feel vulnerable. They realize
life is finite, and they do not know how to cope.
Coming to terms with mortality is not just his or her issue;
it is a couple's concern. There is a heightened awareness that
the clock is ticking. Moreover, the biggest midlife health
problems for men include impotence, depression, and muscle
loss. These concerns inevitably have an impact on women, as
well as men. Do these symptoms exist because of male menopause
or does the idea of a midlife crisis encourage men to get busy
and have one, before the window of opportunity closes? The
midlife years often involve the onset of illness such as diabetes,
heart disease, colon, and prostate cancer.
Even the healthiest middle-aged man is physically compromised,
and if thinning hair and weakening eyesight were not enough
to contend with, these conditions may be accompanied by depression.
The physical problems may cause the depression, or the depression
can cause some of the physical symptoms, among them diminished
sex drive.
Stress can also inhibit testosterone release. # # # # #
by KissMeGoodnight.com
: 2006
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