Is Your Man Menopausal?

Male menopause? Could such a thing exist? Absolutely, according to Jed Diamond and others.

Female menopause usually occurs around the age of 51 when a woman stops menstruating. But because men lack a comparably timed physiological event, it's harder to say what male menopause is and when exactly it occurs.

Psychotherapist Jed Diamond wrote the book on the subject -- literally -- "Male Menopause." He says male menopause, also called andropause or viropause, encompasses a constellation of hormonal, physiological and chemical changes.

Canadian physician Art Hister, M.D., author of "Midlife Man," summarizes the current thinking on the subject: "I believe the term menopause, whether we apply it to men or women, should not be restricted to hormonal changes only but rather should signify a universal passage during midlife that encompasses hormonal, physiological, biochemical, psychological and spiritual changes that are linked to corresponding alterations in health, outlook, expectations, self-perception, relationships, family ties and social status."

Ansonia, Conn., physician Michael O'Reilly, M.D., agrees. "As with some women who are undergoing perimenopause, there are also men who barely notice physical or emotional changes in midlife, while others have a dramatically different experience."

Perhaps the most dramatic aspects of male menopause are the changes in sexual functioning that may occur. Erections may take longer to develop and they may be less firm than they used to be.

Some men find this state of affairs liberating as they take the opportunity to cultivate their partner's and their own sexual fulfillment rather than focusing on sexual performance. Diamond says that this transitional time can lead to an enriched "second adulthood" in which men may forge more intimate bonds with their partners.

However you or your man will deal with male menopause, information is key. Luckily, Diamond and others are here to help.