Male menopause less common than thought

In describing a set of concrete symptoms for male menopause for the first time, British researchers have also determined that only about 2 percent of men aged 40 to 80 years suffer from the condition, far less than previously thought.

Male menopause, also called andropause or late-onset hypogonadism, supposedly results from declines in testosterone production that occur later in life, but there has been some debate on how real the phenomenon is, the study authors noted. Many men have been taking testosterone supplements to combat the perceived effects of aging, even though it's not clear if taking these supplements help or if they're even safe. The result has been mass confusion, not only as to whether male menopause exists but also how to treat it.

To look into the association between aging-related testosterone deficiency and late-onset hypogonadism in men, researchers from UK measured testosterone levels in 3,369 men aged 40 to 79 years and then correlated these levels with different symptoms.

Of 32 possible symptoms, only nine were linked with decreased testosterone levels. Three were physical - not being able to engage in strenuous physical activity, not being able to walk more than 1 kilometer and not being able to bend over or kneel - and three were psychological - low energy, sadness and fatigue. But these six symptoms were only peripherally linked to low testosterone levels. Three sexual symptoms - less frequent morning erections, lower sex drive and erectile dysfunction - were more robustly related to testosterone levels.

Men need to have all three sexual symptoms plus measurably lower levels of testosterone to qualify for the diagnosis of late-onset hypogonadism, the researchers stated. But even with this new diagnostic criteria, the challenge of treating men with sexual and other symptoms of male menopause is still far from straightforward.