HEALTH&FITNESS
264
June15
#1 GRUMP ALERT
G
iven their general reluctance
to admit weakness by going
go to the doctor, plus how
embarrassing it can be to talk
about such things, it’s little wonder that
when low levels of testosterone cause
depression, a lack of energy, a flagging
sex drive and erectile dysfunction,
the men afflicted do nothing about it.
Possibly, they resign themselves to
growing progressively plumper and
grumpier as the years go by.
But wives and partners didn’t sign
up to spend the rest of their lives with
Mr Grumpy, did they? (I know I didn’t.)
There’s every chance of damage or
even disaster to key relationships.
What’s more, testosterone drives muscle
metabolism and helps prevent insulin
resistance, and low levels are associated
with heart disease and prostate cancer.
More about that later.
Fortunately, together with a growing
understanding of the health benefits
of an active lifestyle together with a
sound diet, there are plenty of medical
treatment options available from a
variety of doctors and specialists.
So don’t let matters go too far; it’s
in everyone’s best interest for the
man concerned to get tested, to get
treated and to get well again, says
endocrinologist DR BEN NG of Arden
Endocrinology Specialist Clinic. His
services, by the way, include the
assessment of testosterone status,
including andropause; the treatment of
low testosterone; and the management
and treatment of problems related
to low testosterone, such as erectile
dysfunction, osteoporosis, diabetes
and obesity.
Interestingly, it’s very often their wives
who drivemen to come in for assessment.
Whilemen usually don’t realise the extent
of their problem, their partners often
do, he says. “They’ll say: ‘Over the past
five years, my husband has been losing
interest in sex; he doesn’t want to do
anything – and he’s putting on weight.’
“One o f t he p rob l ems w i t h
andropause is that it’s generally a
gradual decline that you can sort of
get used to, slowly slipping into a state
of weakness, fatigue and obesity.
It’s very different from a woman’s
menopause experience, where hot
flushes, sleeplessness and other
unpleasant symptoms tend to come
on suddenly.”
When you start these men on
testosterone replacement in the right
way, he goes on, it’s a life-restoring
treatment that makes both them and
their wives so happy.
“On the other hand, though, we do
need to counsel the wife as to what to
expect. Not only will she see a change in
her husband’s libido, but as his youthful
aggression comes back, he may not
be as docile as he has recently been.”
The effect of this on a relationship can
even break up a marriage, he adds.
(Be careful what you wish for, as the
adage goes.)