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.
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