It’s been discreetly referred to as ‘the change’, partly due to a lack of understanding and partly to preserve the privacy and dignity of those going through it. Many people may have become aware of the process through their mothers or female partners, although may have shied away from asking too many questions or seeking out more information.

For as long as people have been aware of the menopause, it has been thought of as an exclusively female condition.

It’s not difficult to see why the menopause has traditionally been seen as something which only affects women. For a start, the whole process of the menopause is concerned with a part of the body which is the most distinctive between the sexes.

The menopause occurs in women when their ovaries stop producing eggs. Each women is born with all the eggs they will ever produce and these are stored in their ovaries. Typically women are born with two million eggs. A woman’s ovary will also produce the hormones estrogen and progesterone. These hormones control ovulation and menstruation and the production of them is slowed down considerably during the menopause.

Given that the menopause is so inextricably linked with a women’s ovaries, it can be difficult to get your head around the concept of the male menopause. However, it is a legitimate condition and one which health professionals have been aware of many years.

The male menopause, or coined, ‘Manopause’ – or andropause as it is also known as – refers to the period in which a man’s production of the hormone testosterone dramatically slows down. That process takes considerably longer than the female menopause, but can start earlier in men. While the female menopause can start in a woman’s 40s, and last for five years, a man can begin to lose his testosterone in his 30s and can continue to do so for another 30 years.

Men tend to deal with this hormonal deficiency by seeking out new stimulants in a bid to recapture their youth, and therefore virility, and that’s where we get the concept of a mid-life crisis. Men are less likely to approach the male menopause from the point of view of their overall health.

However, just as in women, the male menopause leads to significant changes in a man. A slowing down of testosterone production can produce physical and psychological changes, as well as having an effect on a man’s sex life. Testosterone may be viewed as the hormone most associated with virility and a man’s sex drive, but it is much more than that. It is the hormone which impacts physical strength as it helps to maintain muscle mass and it can also give the body energy and control mental strength too. It is also responsible for stimulating puberty and has other more wide-ranging physiological implications for the body as a whole.

When many of these key functions begin to diminish, therefore, these are signs that a man could be experiencing andropause. While testosterone production in men begins to slow in their 30s, the male menopause doesn’t fully kick in until a man is in his 50s. Symptoms can include a general lack of energy, difficulty sleeping, loss of muscle mass, irritability and mood swings and a loss of concentration.

Despite this loss of testosterone, however, men’s reproductive ability is not generally affected. In fact, many men remain capable of reproducing into their 80s. Playboy magnate Hugh Hefner certainly showed no signs of slowing down as an octogenarian. Whether you are a man or a woman, ‘the change’ can be a difficult thing to deal with. Although it is an evitable part of many people’s lives, it is not something which you should be resigned to suffering from. Approached from a health and medical point of the view, the adverse effects of the menopause can be minimised and there are many companies which offer a range of solutions which can help to ease you through the difficult period.

Many offer natural remedies and supplements which can be taken to lessen the effects of the menopause and help you come out the other end unscathed. Optimal Wellbeing, for example, provide a range of combinations which can help maintain your body’s health through the ageing process. While menopause itself is not a major health concern, failure to deal with it adequately can lead to other complications, such as a reduction in body strength and damage to your body’s immune system.

Optimal Wellbeing’s range of positive ageing products can boost your overall energy levels, help strengthen bones, give you healthy teeth and hair, regulate sleep patterns, improve your immune system and increase libido. If you are interested in availing of the products Optimal Wellbeing have to offer, or if you have any general concerns about ageing and your health, contact jill@myoptimalwellbeing.com

Although it may sound like it, the menopause doesn’t mean you have to put your life on hold while you struggle through it. That is certainly the belief of author Jill D Davey. In her book ‘The Menopause Cure: Hormonal Health’, Jill argues that rather than surrendering to the menopause, women should feel empowered and proactive in taking control of their health and wellbeing.

Drawing on her own experiences with the menopause, Jill reveals how her research into restorative medicine and bioidentical hormone therapy unlocked the secret of longevity and how to grasp that new lease of life that is available following the menopause.

An imbalance in hormones which is caused by menopause can lead to certain conditions and diseases in later life and Jill is determined that these can be avoided with the help of restorative medicine. In putting together the book, Jill spoke with a number of experts from across the world in the field of restorative medicine and bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT), including Dr Sergey A Dzugan with whom she co-authored the book.

She has made it her mission to make the menopause not something which is to be dreaded and surrendered to, but an opportunity for woman to address their health as they move into a new stage of life. Jill@myoptimalwelling.com

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