MEN-OPAUSE The Truth About the ‘Manopause’ From Weight Gain to HRT – as Robbie Williams Shares Health Struggles
The Sun | 8 Nov 2023 | Isabel Shaw

An NHS Trust is offering 12 months of paid leave to male staff affected by the condition

…

But women are not the only ones to experience it. Robbie Williams is the most recent in a string of fellas

{?} {This is journalism?}

to open up about their struggles with what they call the ‘male menopause’, or andropause.

The superstar singer told The Sun in an exclusive interview: “I’ve used up all of the natural good stuff. I’ve got the manopause.”

He sounds like someone I’d take medical advice from.

The male menopause can develop in men in their late 40s and early 50s, according to the NHS, and is characterised by a decline in testosterone levels.

Typical symptoms – which appear to align with menopause – include mood swings, loss of sex drive and muscle mass, difficulty sleeping and poor short-term memory.

That’s a woman, baby!

Yet, Dr Channa Jayasena, an endocrinologist based at Imperial College London, tells the Sun comparing the two is “troublesome” as the conditions are, in fact, very different.

In men, the drop in hormone levels happens gradually from the age of 30, and this is unlikely to cause any problems in itself.

But for some blokes,

Journalism!

the plunge in testosterone happens much faster, and this is usually because of lifestyle factors like diet or disease, Dr Channa explains.

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“Much like how women lose their periods when they are unwell, a drop in testosterone is the body’s way of telling us something is wrong and not to have babies,” he adds.

Common ‘male menopause’ causes include heart disease, uncontrolled type two diabetes, being obese, not sleeping enough and drinking too much alcohol.

Now That’s a man, baby!

Last month, an NHS Trust in the East Midlands announced it would be offering up to 12 months of paid leave to male staff affected by symptoms of low testosterone.

This is despite the NHS itself saying male menopause is not a clinical condition.

The hormone expert called the policy “complete madness”.

A year off — paid?

HRT for men

Much like hormone replacement therapy (HRT) for women, men struggling with testosterone levels can get artificial boosts in the form of a jab or gel to help combat uncomfortable symptoms.

Happy Mondays star Shaun Ryder said HRT “changed my life”.

The 61-year-old once admitted “trying every drug around”

!

but now uses testosterone gel to boost libido and energy.

Testosterone – which is prescribed on the NHS – is usually reserved for men whose plunging levels don’t appear to be lifestyle-related, suggesting they have late-onset hypogonadism.

The rare condition causes delayed puberty

60-year-old men are suffering from this?

and small testes, the NHS says.

Heh

Studies estimate that just two to six per cent of men suffer from late-onset hypogonadism, whereas all women will suffer some form of menopause.

Yet, Dr Channa says the NHS is seeing an increasing number of men who have either started testosterone themselves illegally or have been started by a private clinic.

“Most of these men should never have been on testosterone in the first place,” he says.

Taking testosterone when it’s not needed can increase the risk of blood clots, high blood pressure and cholesterol, he adds.

For these men, taking testosterone is a bit like “putting a plaster over a cut”, the expert says.

“It’ll mask the symptoms, but in reality, you’re still unwell,” he adds.

I’m confused. Take the therapy, don’t take the therapy . . . ?

Menopause vs Manopause

Testosterone levels rise during puberty, usually between 10 and 14.

It causes boys to have bigger muscles, deeper voices and facial hair.

The hormone also helps the testes create sperm.

Levels peak at age 20, before slowly falling by around one per cent each year from 30.

No way. Not Oppo.

Sufferers of low testosterone commonly experience weight gain and gynecomastia, also known as man boobs.

But in most men, it is fairly unnoticeable.

However, in severe cases, some suffer from erectile dysfunction.

But unlike women, these hormone changes don’t render men infertile.

Menopause marks the stage in a women’s life when she no longer has periods. This means she is no longer able to conceive children.

Hey — we’re getting off-topic.

Almost nine in 10 women going through the menopause suffer symptoms like anxiety, mood swings and low self-esteem.

Hot flushes, sleeping difficulties, heart palpations, headaches, and muscle and joint pain are among a long list of agonising symptoms women experience.

Symptoms usually occur years before menopause officially begins, as periods start to become irregular.

This is called the perimenopause.

Once a woman reaches menopause – a year after her last period – symptoms can continue for even more years.

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. . . . I thought we were talking about men and man boobs, here.