Similar to the stage where female go through a phase of life called menopause, men too have similar situation where hormones such as Testosterone levels fluctuate. It is also called as Andropause. Other terms associated with the same problem are Androgen deficiency, Testosterone Deficiency, Partial Androgen Deficiency etc.
Comparing causes
In women, Menopause stage puts an end to the functionality of ovaries, in other words it stops the process of ovulation and menstrual cycle ends completely. This is accompanied first by sudden decrease of hormones which finally stops. However, in Andropause, male face a fluctuation in a hormone called testosterone but the fertility of a man is not affected completely. A man can produce sperm cells up to the age of eighty and thus can produce children till that stage.
Menopause is a natural phenomenon that is just inevitable, but the age at which it arrives is dependent on certain factors such as hypertension. Severe alcohol consumption, smoking, heart and lung diseases, lack of exercise etc. So me women also face an early menopause if they had any surgeries for removal of ovaries and uterus.
Comparing symptoms
Many researchers find similarities in menopause/Andropause with out pre-pubertal phase where both a girl and a boy suffer from various physiological and hormonal changes. Most symptoms of Andropause and Menopause are common like fatigue, lower sex drive, hot flashes, poor memory, headaches etc. Depression, mood swings, anxiety are some of the emotional and psychological symptoms that men and women alike have to go through during Andropause and menopause respectively.
Treatments
Treatments also have been found alike for both Andropause and menopause. The hormone replacement therapy is the most common. Men are treated with Testosterone Replacement Therapy and Women are treated with Postmenopausal Hormone therapy. These replacement therapies, however, have also been found to contain some side effects. Some people believe that Andropause therapies could increase the chances of a prostate cancer. PHT similarly can cause a lot of other side effects, strokes being the most common.
Conclusion
Both the phases, be it andropause or menopause, are inevitable in a man’s and a woman’s life. So sooner or later, they would be experiencing it. So knowing about the various symptoms would really help them in finding what they are actually going through when the phase arrives. Moreover knowing about the remedies and therapies would help in finding the best way to reduce the effect of the symptoms.