Hormone of kings, hormone of youth.

Author: Urologist-andrologist, Director of the “Andrologist and Me” clinic, Ph.D. Rakhmatullaev B.M.

A typical middle-aged man is a person who gradually loses interest in life, love, his strength and energy. A man of action becomes a man of inaction. For no apparent reason, mental and physical fatigue begins to overwhelm him. From an assertive, sociable optimist, he suddenly turns into a negatively-minded depressive pessimist, with whom it becomes more and more difficult to live and work. At work, he loses his inner core; nothing will force him to take it up with the same enthusiasm. Relationships within his family become tense, and he gradually stops communicating with friends. This leads to nervousness and impotence. Problems arise in life in general, a man loses his own “I”.

Then, when, after not paying attention to his deplorable condition for many months, and maybe even years, this depressed person finally comes to his doctor, all he hears is this: “So, you are tired, feel empty, exhausted and have forgotten about the existence of the relationship? It's just age."

Why does a man’s vitality leave him already in middle age? The reason for all of the above is the onset of andropause. The term "andropause" comes from two Greek words - andro (man) and pauses (cessation, stop), meaning "the time when manifestations of masculinity cease", which more accurately defines this condition. It is even doubly appropriate for the name of this problem, because its cause is an insufficient amount of androgens, hormones that provide masculinity (andro, “man”, gen “to give”), which can be successfully used as a cure for such a problem.

Despite the fact that it most often occurs after 50 years, you can expect its insidious arrival from the age of 30. Signs of andropause are the loss of male strength; this is not only a crisis of activity, but also a turning point in a man’s life. Surprisingly, these changes are often not given any significance, believing that in men, depression, which is caused by life coming to an end, is either part of the general aging of the body, or a reaction to the cooling of the partner.

In addition to the loss of desires, often during this period there is a decrease in interest in professional life and business, and the leader becomes a follower, the lion turns into a weak lamb.

A man feels lethargic, excessively tired, exhausted and depressed, accompanied by a feeling of hopelessness and uselessness of his own life. Very often, in an effort to overcome such a malaise, he changes his place of work, but this does not provide any relief. Often things get worse due to the added stress caused by all sorts of changes.

Why is one man destined to experience all the vicissitudes of male menopause at the age of forty to fifty years, while another does not suffer anything similar even at seventy years of age?

The reason for this is a decrease in the level of the hormone testosterone in the body. Thanks to the hormone testosterone, we are born. It regulates many factors in both men and women, also developing sexual qualities such as superiority, energy, strength, self-confidence, shape, degree of body hair and even smell (pheromones). It regulates sperm production, potency and therefore has a decisive vote in the decision to conceive.

It is the main factor whether a person becomes a woman or a man, a poet or a boxer, a loser or a winner. Testosterone literally shapes our brain and our ability to be creative, intellect, way of thinking, energy, desire to understand various things. It influences and controls not only the potential we possess, but also the benefit we derive from it. It controls our communicative behavior.

Life can be compared to a glider from which we are catapulted at the age of twenty,  to the very pinnacle of our innate physical and mental abilities, provided, however, with a supply of hormones, testosterone or estrogen, and then, when we are already sliding down the stream of life, our descent depends largely on how well our body balances hormones.

For example, there are stress hormones - adrenaline, norepinephrine and cortisol, which increase wear and tear on the body and the amount of energy we consume, that is, they have a catabolic (destructive) effect. Others, for example, testosterone and estrogen, on the contrary, have the opposite, that is, anabolic (creating) effect. This explains why someOld people quickly burn out, flying down like an arrow, and some smoothly soar, reaching 80 and even 100 years.

The ability to influence the human aging process has occupied the minds of researchers since ancient times. And any problem related to this topic always attracts increased attention. The onset of old age is inevitable. A person hopes for a miracle - the miracle of eternal youth.

The clinical symptoms of andropause are very diverse and nonspecific, so they are not always immediately diagnosed as manifestations of testosterone deficiency. It is not uncommon for patients with andropause to consult a therapist and neurologist.

To identify changes in hormonal balance, a clinical and biochemical examination of the patient is performed. To do this, it is necessary to take venous blood between 07.00 and 11.00 hours. Which can confirm the presence of a decrease in testosterone levels in the blood.

Testosterone in the blood is determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).

Currently, if a decrease in testosterone production is detected, there are methods for its correction, which allows men to remain young, active and cheerful for many years.

Urologist-andrologist, Ph.D. Rakhmatullaev Bakhodir Mirziyatovich