Many Pinoys over 40 suffering from male menopause

First there was menopause. Now comes "man-opause."

The loss of sexual urge among Filipino males aged above 40 may be blamed on their entering male menopause or "andropause," a medical expert said yesterday.

Dr. Jose Albert Reyes III, a urologist and president of the Philippine Society of the Study on Aging Males, said all males become andropausal as they age but many are not aware of the condition.

"Male menopause or andropause is a normal condition that all men experience as they age. It is similar to women’s menopause. However, there are no clear-cut signs such as the cessation of menses in women; thus, the difficulty in diagnosing andropause," he told a medical forum at the Manila Shangri-la Hotel in Makati City sponsored by Schering, a German pharmaceutial company.

The firm produces a product called injectable testosterone undecanoate, which replaces testosterone in the body.

Andropause, Reyes claimed, is used "to describe any of the changes a man experiences as a consequence of declined secretion of testosterone and can become clinically apparent depending on the endocrine capacity of the testes."

Testosterone is a hormone produced in testes. It directly acts on diverse target organs such as sex organs, bones, muscle, brain, skin and hair.

Males in such condition can suffer diminished libido, resulting in erectile dysfunction, depressed mood, lessened muscle strength, feeling tired and general weakness.

While andropause affects mostly men above 60 years old, it could hit those as young as 40.

Reyes added there are no statistics on andropause in the Philippines because Filipino men do not usually talk about their impaired sexual ability.

"Men are not keen on seeing doctors because they think they are stronger. Men don’t seek help and that’s why they die younger," he maintained.

And because of such silence, men miss the chance to know that there is available treatment for their condition — testosterone replacement.

He said that through such treatment, the testosterone is replaced but this should be done with the strict guidance of a doctor to prevent an overdose.

Testosterone supplementation is also not advised among those with prostate conditions because the hormones could serve as food for cancer cells.

Reyes added that those undergoing testosterone replacement should have their testosterone level checked regularly because an overdose could lead to edema and other complications.