Andropause, Late Onset Hypogonadism (LOH), male menopause …

Female menopause has been known for centuries, but it has only recently been discovered that males also go through a similar phenomenon with identical symptoms.

Synonyms: Late Onset Hypogonadism (LOH), Male Climacteric, Andropause, Viropause, ADAM (Androgen Deficiency in the Aging Male) and PADAM (Partial Androgen Deficiency in the Aging Male).

he medical profession has long debated the existence of male menopause. Does it really exist ? If so, at what age does it affect men ? What are the symptoms ? Are they reversible with treatment ? What precautions can a man take to prevent/postpone its arrival ? How is it similar to/ different from female menopause ?

Or, on the other hand, is it a non-existent entity ? Is it just a another ploy to emasculate men further ? Are senile eighty-year old men who are seen dating nubile young women really as capable as they appear to be or are they merely fooling both their partners and themselves ? Or are their partners fooling them ?

Until recently, the entire subject of the andropause was steeped in confusion and controversy. While women were accused of going through middle-aged crises and menopause-related aberrations, their male counterparts got away with propagating the myth of the 'ageless male' and boasted of virility all the way to their graves.

So what's the real score ?

There is no doubt that a man's sexuality changes with advancing age. The instant, anytime, 'as-many-times-as-you-want' erections that are more the rule than the exception at 18, do not last forever. With advancing age, the urge reduces, erections take time to come on, any time is not always a good time and the penis requires more direct stimulation in order to get aroused. Besides, the erections may not be as angled and rigid, and ejaculation becomes more feeble. The refractory period (interval) between erections gets prolonged.

Is all this because of the maturation (maturity) process ? Is it because by middle age man has had enough sex so as not to be unnaturally preoccupied with it any longer ? Is this because his wife has aged a bit and is no longer as attractive/ interested as before ? Or is it because of the pressures at the work-place, the demands of parenthood, or pre-occupation with the lives of grown-up children and aging parents ?

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Andropause, Late Onset Hypogonadism (LOH), male menopause ...

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