Can it really be true that men go through a similar change in life as women do with the menopause?

On this week’s episode of Show Me the Science, Professor Luke O’Neill sought to answer this question.

“[The menopause] is a very serious thing,” he said.

“It’s hot flushes, insomnia, joint pain, libido changes, and it’s very evident.

“There are ways to handle these very serious consequences for women.

“All it really means scientifically is women stop menstruating, and then they go into an older phase, and then they can’t have children anymore.”

A woman experiencing a hot flush From menopause. Picture by: Ian Allenden / Alamy Stock Photo

According to Prof O’Neill, it is still somewhat of a mystery why women get the menopause, as there are only a handful of other animals that also go through it, including two species of whales.

“Very recent studies came out, trying to explain why whales go through it,” he said.

“The theory as to why women go through it has always been to help bring up grandchildren.

“There is evidence for this, actually, that the older woman who helps with the kids, the kids definitely benefit from that, so you can see how evolution would have selected for this.

“But strangely, the study with the whales found something different, and it’s pretty mind-blowing actually.

“The evidence from the whales would suggest it’s reduced competition with pregnant daughters."

Prof O’Neill said that if an older whale and younger whale both get pregnant, the babies will both be competing for nutrients.

He said evidence has shown that in whales, a calf born from an older mother is 1.7 times more likely to die than those born from younger whales, which could also give an insight as to why human women go through the menopause.

Testosterone deficiency

According to Prof O’Neill, while men also go through physical and hormonal changes as they age, it is not to the same extent as women.

“Of course, the basis for the menopause is oestrogen and progesterone; those two female hormones, they go down and that’s what triggers the decrease in ovulation and fertility,” he said.

“There’s some evidence in men that testosterone goes down.

“Now, testosterone is the male hormone, although women have some as well.

“It goes down one per cent per year as the men age, so it is going down.

“Even though you’re losing one per cent a year, there’s a massive range of testosterone in us all – we're talking up from 300 at the lower limit up to 2,000 at the high limit.

“Loads of us would have the lower limit, it doesn’t really affect us.

“So, if you have 300 nanograms per mil testosterone in your blood, you can’t really be considered testosterone deficient.”

Prof O’Neill said certain conditions such as hypogonadism can cause testosterone deficiencies, with symptoms such as fatigue and a loss in libido.

Main image: Professor O'Neil (L), elderly man (R).