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Warning!

The articles and Patient leaflets published on this Blogg , have been originally written for the Geraldton Guardian's forthnightly Health Matters section or the www.cityhealthgeraldton.com.au - General Practice Website. I have researched topics , i wrote about, as thoroughly as I could and have listed sources at the end of each article. They are by no means purely scientific but reflect general medical opinion at the time of writing . Medicine and Health news move past, and some of the advice and opinions, will become outdated. Guardian articles were limited to about 400 words , which sometimes made the offering of a comprehensive view difficult if not imperfect. These articles shouldn't be used as replacement for propper medical professional advice and treatment and you are encouraged to seek medical advice and treatment from your doctor , pharmacist, appropriate specialist (physio, chiro...) on matters , if you are concerned.

Sunday, June 6, 2010

Grumpy old Men - Male Menopause – fact or fiction


Women suffer it and get treated successfully for it, why not men too? Symptoms attributed to male menopause are:
- increased abdominal fat
- weaker muscles
- decreased motivation
- fatigue
- moodiness and irritability( grumpy old men),
- depression
- lack of concentration
- declining sexual interest erection difficulty

Fact is that from the 50ies onwards testosterone levels decline by about 2% yearly, testosterone is a hormone produced in the testis controlling facial hair, penile growth muscle gain and fat distribution. Some doctors claim that steady fall in hormone levels is responsible for above listed symptoms. Libido and Sexuality might decline with age anyway - no real correlation with testosterone levels has been proven. So it could only make you feel better, but not actually help.
Studies looking at benefits of testosterone replacement are inconclusive , some have shown increase in bone mass and strength as well as muscle mass. Testosterone is a risk factor for prostate cancer and long term studies on the safety of hormone replacement in men are limited.
Testosterone can cause breast cancer, kidney and liver damage, high blood pressure, worsen diabetes and migraines, anxiety and acne to name only some unwanted effects.
Testosterone supplementation is currently not recommended for older men with normal or low normal hormone levels. Replacement might be warranted for older men with markedly decreased hormone levels, regardless of symptoms and in men with mildly decreased levels and symptoms of testosterone deficiency. According to some experts, men who experience above age specific symptoms, lead unhealthy lifestyles (smoke, to much alcohol, not enough exercise, overweight) also chronic diseases of older age (diabetes , heart disease , depression) add to their symptoms. Saying this - discussion of above symptoms with your GP can be life saving, like for instance secondary erection difficulty is now a recognized warning symptom for small blood vessel disease and is known to precede heart attacks and strokes, so should prompt your good GP to explore heart risk factors and maybe put you on the tread mill. And there are alternative treatments for age or lack of testosterone related symptoms pending the underlying pathology ranging from Antidepressants to Viagra.
So does it all grind down again to do more exercise , stop smoking , drink sensible ? Probably right! but your doctor will help you to determine if you suffer an underling condition worth treating. Medicare currently only funds treatment of testosterone deficiency if there are 2 proven low testosterone blood levels. Options for replacement are tablets , injections ,implants, patches , gels. One thing for sure -beware of busily advertising and business hunting big private mens health clinics! You better off with your local doctor and specialist , as they know you better and are able to look at your health overall.

Sources:
-
www.abc.net.au/health
- www.gpnotebook.co.uk
- www.patient.co.uk
- Australian Family Physician 6 6 2003

Helko Schenk
Geraldton Medical Group
Geraldton 30 3 2009

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