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What
is Male Menopause  Sue:
As I read your terrific book Male Menopause all I kept thinking about was how
much this sounds like what women go through! What are the similarities and
differences between men and women when they go through menopause?
 Jed:
When I began research for my book I was skeptical about the concept of "male
menopause." I had been a therapist for over thirty-five years and had
worked with thousands of mid-life men and women. Most of the women who were
approaching menopause experienced marked changes that were clearly related to
physiological and hormonal shifts in body chemistry. It was clear to me that
something was also going on with the men, but I assumed that men's changes were more
psychological than physical.
I had heard a number of men talk about "male menopause," but wondered if they were
just complaining about the difficulties of being a man or trying to justify their
irresponsible mid-life behavior.
 The
term Male Menopause itself, of course, is an oxymoron. Men don't have a menstrual
cycle and so don't "stop" having one. But, after working with men for the last
35 years, I believe there is a deeper truth about the hormonal and physiological changes
that occur for men at mid-life that if not understood can be devastating to a man and his
family.
The primary difference, of course, is that menopause marks the end of a
woman's reproductive life while men can continue to have children into their later
years. Yet both have significant hormonal, physical, psychological, sexual, social,
and spiritual changes at this time of life. Twenty-five percent of men in our study,
for instance, had significant hot flashes. "I felt like I was going to burn
up," one man told me. "In the morning my sheets were soaked even though I wasn't
sick and the room was cool."
Common Signs
& Symptoms
of Male Menopause
Sue:
What are the most common signs and symptoms of male menopause?
see Jed Diamond's answer
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Male Menopause
by Jed Diamond
So do men really go through menopause? If you think of menopause as hot flashes
and a sudden change in fertility, no. But if you regard menopause as physical and
emotional changes triggered by significant changes in hormone levels, then yes, men go
through it. In Male Menopause veteran psychotherapist and men's-movement leader Jed
Diamond looks at the observable and documentable changes associated with male
midlife--weight gain, less physical endurance, longer recovery from injuries, reduced
interest in sex, feelings of irritability and depression--and concludes that this is
indeed a passage similar to what middle-aged women go through. The last section of Male
Menopause discusses how men can get back what they've lost, but for the most part
Diamond focuses on understanding and accepting the aging process, not fighting it.
The Testosterone
Syndrome:
The Critical Factor for Energy, Health, & Sexuality--Reversing the Male Menopause
by Eugene Shippen, William Fryer
Just as women have a menopause, so men experience a "male menopause",
often called andropause, which can occur in over a period of 15 to 20 years, and which can
take an equally devastating toll on strength, energy, and zest for life. In this book, Dr.
Shippan uses case histories to show how adjusting levels of testosterone can have a
positive effect on this time in a man's life.
Maximizing
Manhood:
Beating the Male Menopause
by Malcolm Carruthers
A revealing and in-depth study of many men facing one of the greatest male
taboos. This book discusses the benefits of carefully monitored testosterone replacement
therapy.
Iron John: A Book About Men
see books by Robert Bly
is a wonderful book that I've had for a few years in hardcover that I tend to reread every
once in a while. It's a great "jump start" for the soul. It tells a story as
abstracted from an ancient legend with practical applications for the men of today.
Definitely worth buying for your personal library. |
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