Mediacorp Mewatch: Andropause

Avery: Hi guys. It's Avery and I'm your go-to guy when any man or women on the streets have got questions about health. And today I'm joined with an expert, Dr. Tan, who is an expert on men's health, and we're going on the streets to find out if anybody has questions for Dr. Tan.

Stranger 1: What can we do to prevent male menopause?

Dr Tan: Keep in shape, prevent chronic diseases, don't smoke. That's your best chance of preventing the testosterone deficiency.

Stranger 2: How many men actually suffer from andropause?

Dr Tan: Andropause happens more in older men. It can happen to men as young as in their 40s, but among men in their 50s and 60s, as many as one in three will suffer from what we actually like to refer to as testosterone deficiency syndrome rather than andropause. Doctors don't really like this term “andropause.”

Avery: Why is that so? Why don't they like that term “andropause”?

Dr Tan: For example, all women will suffer from menopause, but not all men will suffer from andropause. There are certain risk factors. Secondly, menopause is associated with loss of fertility, right? But men who suffer from testosterone deficiency can actually still be fertile. The third important difference is that menopause happens quite suddenly. So usually from normal periods to no periods, it takes about a year. But for men, the drop in testosterone can happen over many years. It kind of creeps up on you.

Stranger 3: I kind of roughly know the testosterone level will go down after a certain age. But with andropause, how much will it actually affect your testosterone?

Dr Tan: There's a lot of inter-individual variability between patients. For some it will drop faster – they'll get symptoms. For some guys, the testosterone level won't even drop at all. I have patients well into their 70s who still have a normal level of testosterone. For men who are slightly older who are entering their 40s, doctors will also recommend that they do more strength building exercises. So, there's always this question of “Should I run more marathons or should I spend more time in the gym?” To build more testosterone, spending more time in the gym and building nice muscles really help with testosterone natural protection.

Avery: Thank you so much for being here with us today, Dr. Tan. You have answered so many questions and I feel like I know so much more about andropause or testosterone deficiency.

Dr Tan: Thank you for having me.