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The Male Menopause Disease

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When one gets older there are many concerns that can cross their minds whether it be financial, family problems, or even medical. As men get older there can be a variety of medical concerns that they are told can affect their health, or standard way of living, such as arthritis, heart disease, cancer, respiratory diseases etc. However, there is one disease that, although may not affect as much of the male population, still becomes diagnosed in a significant few. It isn’t as well known as menopause but this disease has many of the same similarities only that it affects the male population. It is called Andropause, and it affects the male physiology by gradually decreasing numbers of leydig cells and androgen production, usually occurring in …show more content…

Although, it is compared as such does not make the two completely relatable. While menopause occurs in the entirety of the female population, andropause does not. It only occurs to a small sum of the male population but not all and often times goes unnoticed or misdiagnosed. Andropause primarily effects a great number, but not all, of the male population between the ages of 45 and 60. Any man can be affected by it between those ages. Levels of testosterone are decreased in men as they age which is an important factor in men suspected of having andropause. Testosterone is a hormone secreted by the Leydig cells, which are found next to the seminiferous tubules in the testes, as a result of stimulation from the luteinizing hormone(LH) located in the anterior pituitary gland, which is a result of the Gonadotropin-releasing hormone(GnRH) that is secreted by the hypothalamus. As men get older there is a gradual decline in the amount of testosterone that is originally produced. This slowly decreasing hormone process of the circulation of testosterone throughout the body can cause the hypothalamus and anterior pituitary gland to stimulate the release of hormones that then tell the testes to stimulate their production of testosterone. What normally happens in the physiology of men as they get older is that as their testosterone levels slowly decrease GnRH and LH levels will not rise. These levels are all considered to be a normal process as they occur in the adult male aging process. Although, in the case of andropause these levels drop down so low that it stimulates the hypothalamus and anterior pituitary to stimulate production of GnRH and LH at a high rate to compensate. Which in turn should stimulate the production of testosterone and it does for a bit before production decreases again. That stimulation of

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