The male menopause is a much discussed medical health condition and is known as andropause. Many doctors say that it doesn't really exist and is just in fact a myth and a normal sign of ageing. The signs of andropause which tends to really start to kick in at around the age of 50 are muscle ache, lower sex drive, erectile dysfunction and general aches and pains.

Infact all these things are the result of lower than normal testosterone levels which start to decline in men as they get older. Recent research undertaken in Australia shows that the level of testosterone in males starts to reduce by between 1% or 2% each year when the reach the age of around 30.

The reason that less is known about andropause and that it gets confused with the simple signs of ageing is that unlike the female menopause it doesn't suddenly happen and is a very slow process taking years and years. Different men suffer from different levels of andropause and some are hardly affected at all. Some medical professionals advocate the use of testosterone injections to make a man feel better and also they argue to reduce the chances of a heart attack and diabetes.

The expression 'Grumpy Old Men' can often be used to describe men who are suffering from Andropause and who could maybe benefit from an injection of testosterone. Some experts in andropause say that many men who get the testerone injections improve afterwards and other experts disagree saying that there is no clear evidence that supports the use of testosterone injections for grumpy old men.

Testosterone has been shown to boost muscle and bone density however whether it will keep working over a long time is still not clearly known and there are concerns about the effect that it could have on the prostate and cardio disease. More research needs to be done on the longer term effects of testosterone treatment and the health of men.

Erectile dysfunction is a very stressful symptom of andropause and lower levels of testosterone and can sometimes be rectified with Viagra, Cialis or Levitra.