Is male menopause real? Low testosterone level signs and treatment tips
Hormonal changes don’t just happen in women, they also occur in men as well. Much like how women start to see declining levels of estrogen, men can see a decline in testosterone—the male sex hormone. People joke about men having a mid-life crisis and going through menopause like women do, but it is no joke—male menopause is real. Doctors usually refer to it as androgen or testosterone decline.
Male menopause occurs when the hormone testosterone declines with age. It can also happen in conjunction with certain diseases like diabetes. The symptoms associated with male menopause are nothing to scoff at. They can include fatigue, weakness, depression, and sexual problems. The sexual problems can be as serious as infertility and erectile dysfunction. Continue reading…
As testosterone is the primary male sex hormone, it is not surprising that most well-known signs of low levels of this hormone are associated with diminished masculinity in one form or another. If a man is not interested in sex anymore or has trouble getting or maintaining erections, or if he feels extremely tired every day even though in the past he was up and running from morning ‘til night, his testosterone levels may very well be plummeting. Loss of strength, muscle shrinkage, and weight loss struggles are also common symptoms of low T, along with the irritability and moodiness, that many aging men display. Continue reading…
Low testosterone raises the risk of type 2 diabetes in men as testosterone helps regulate blood sugar levels. The researchers found that testosterone triggers essential signaling mechanisms in islets, which are clusters of cells within the pancreas producing insulin.
Senior author Dr. Franck Mauvais-Jarvis said, “We have found the cause — and a potential treatment pathway — for type 2 diabetes in testosterone-deficient men. Our study shows that testosterone is an antidiabetic hormone in men. If we can modulate its action without side effects, it is a therapeutic avenue for type 2 diabetes.” Continue reading…
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) risk is influenced by low testosterone levels in men. Low testosterone levels are seen in both men and women with rheumatoid arthritis, revealing that sex hormones may play a role in the disease. Unfortunately, it is unclear if low testosterone levels are to blame for the onset of rheumatoid arthritis, or it is rheumatoid arthritis that drops the levels of testosterone.
The researchers studied participants in the Swedish Malmo Preventive Medicine Program (MPMP), which included over 33,000 people born between 1921 and 1949. The participants underwent a number of tests, filled out questionnaires, and provided blood samples. Continue reading…
Testosterone is an important male hormone and one that can be depressed by foods that lower testosterone. It is important to recognize that both males and females have this sex hormone coursing through their bodies and produce them in varying amounts. The difference is that males produce much more of it than females, giving men their defining characteristics.
Testosterone also goes by the name androgen and is produced in the testes. Inadequate amounts may lead to infertility in men as the process of sperm production requires it. Testosterone is also implicated in libido and plays a role in fat distribution, production of bone mass, muscle size and strength, and red blood cell creation. Continue reading…
Related: Andropause natural treatment: 26 home and herbal remedies for male menopause