It’s a common misconception that as men grow older, they don’t undergo as many changes as women do. Hormonal changes can also affect men, just like how menopause affects women. This condition is known as irritable male syndrome, and it’s something that all men need to know about.
What is irritable male syndrome?
Irritable male syndrome (IMS), also known as andropause, is similar to menopause in women. It’s a condition that causes changes in mood, making men feel irritable and easily frustrated.
These changes in mood have been linked to hormonal changes, which means having low testosterone levels. IMS also usually happens to older men, because as men grow older, their testosterone levels gradually go down. However, there’s also evidence that shows conditions such as high cholesterol and obesity are partly to blame for low testosterone.
Irritability isn’t the only symptom of IMS, even though it’s the most common. Depression and lower self-confidence are both possible symptoms of IMS. Lower sex drive and even erectile dysfunction can also be symptoms of IMS.
Does IMS turn you into a grumpy old man?
Some doctors argue about just how big a role testosterone plays when it comes to IMS. Some of them believe that the irritability and grumpiness commonly associated with old men aren’t necessarily due to low testosterone.
That’s because while testosterone levels do get lower as men grow older, it’s not as abrupt as what happens in women. For men, the decrease in testosterone is a gradual decline, so having IMS isn’t exclusively related to low testosterone.
It’s also very likely that chronic health problems contribute to irritability. After all, it’s hard to be in a good mood if you constantly have aches and pains.
Sexual frustration can also cause irritability in older men. As men grow older, they can suffer from erectile dysfunction, which causes frustration, anger, and irritability in them.
All of these things happening at the same time can really tick a guy off. And that’s one explanation as to why men become grumps as they grow older.
Should you worry about it?
For the most part, IMS isn’t really something that you should lose any sleep over. It’s completely natural for men to experience these problems. IMS is just a part of growing older and having to deal with your changing body.
It’s not something traumatic or inherently harmful but just a fact of life. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean that you can’t do something about it.
There are some steps that you can take in order to make sure that you don’t suffer heavily from IMS.
What can men do about it?
First off, don’t worry too much about low testosterone. Keeping your body healthy is way more important than trying to deal with low testosterone using hormone therapy.
Make sure to eat right, exercise, and have a positive outlook on life. The last one is especially useful since negativity and stress can directly have an impact on your physical health.
Now, there are some cases where your doctor might recommend hormone replacement therapy. This usually happens when your hormone levels are too low, or you’ve experienced a sharp decline.
In cases like these, it’s perfectly fine to undergo the therapy. The synthetic testosterone should help you deal with the effects of irritable male syndrome and give you a better quality of life.
The last thing to remember is that you don’t need to worry too much about irritable male syndrome. It’s important that you know about it and you know how to deal with it. But it’s really not something that you should be constantly afraid of or worried about.
