From an article originally found Here we can begin a discussion regarding the very real fact that men have significant changes in their hormone levels as they age, just as women do. If you think that you might be suffering from a deficiency in testosterone or any other hormone, please do not hesitate to Contact Us to schedule an appointment.

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To answer the question whether there is such a thing as male menopause, let’s take a step back.

We all know the difference between men and women and it starts off at the gene level. Women have two X chromosomes, men one X and one Y. The Y chromosome is one of the smallest human chromosomes and on it is the tiny bit of DNA that’s required for the production of testosterone.

From Harvard Health Publications:

Testosterone has many direct effects on the male anatomy and metabolism. It is responsible for the deep voice, increased muscle mass, and strong bones that characterize the gender. It stimulates the production of red blood cells by the bone marrow. It also has crucial, if incompletely understood, effects on male behavior; it contributes to aggressiveness and is essential for the libido or sex drive, as well as for normal erection and sexual performance. Testosterone stimulates the growth of the genitals at puberty, and it is responsible for sperm production throughout adulthood. Finally, and for most men unhappily, testosterone also acts on the liver, raising the production of LDL (“bad”) cholesterol.

Similar to the way that women experience drops in sex hormones (for them its estrogen) as they age, men also see a reduction in their sex hormone, testosterone. In women, the bulk of this drop happens starting around age 50 and then plunges suddenly over a 5 year period. It’s called menopause and because the symptoms are so clear (including the cessation of menstruation cycles), there is no question when it happens.

The pace of hormonal changes in men is quite different. Instead of happening in a condensed period in midlife, it starts in the 30′s and drops gradually after that (around 1 percent per year). The slowness of the decline means that the effects can be equally slow to appear and may not even be apparent until well into middle age or older