For the first time, scientists claim to have identified the symptoms ass-ociated with what has been termed late-onset hypogonadism or “male men-opause” caused by a reduction in testosterone production in some ageing men.
However, unlike female menopause, which affects all women, male men-opause is relatively rare, affecting only two per cent of elderly men, and is often linked to poor general health and obesity, say the scientists.
A team from Manchester University, Imperial College London and University College London has based its findings on an analysis of the testosterone levels of 3,369 men between the ages of 40 and 79 years from eight European nations.
The scientists asked details about their sexual, physical and psychological health and found that only nine of the 32 candidate symptoms were actually associated with low testosterone levels, the most important being the three sexual symptoms — decreased frequency of morning erection, decreased frequency of sexual thou-ghts and erectile dysfunction. Their research concluded that the presence of all three sexual symptoms, together with low testosterone levels, was required to establish a diagnosis of male menopause though other non-sexual symptoms may also be present.
These other symptoms included three physical symptoms — an inability to engage in vigorous activity such as running or lifting heavy objects, an inability to walk more than a km, inability to bend, kneel or stoop — and three psychological symptoms — loss of energy, sadness, and fatigue.
“The diagnosis of classical hypogonadism is corroborated by underlying diseases affecting the testes or pituitary gland, which controls testicular function” team leader Prof. Fred Wu of Manchester University said.