Testosterone Deficiency — The Male Menopause?

Abstract

Testosterone deficiency in older men as a result of testicular failure is commonly termed the ‘andropause’ or ‘male menopause’. This is a misleading term as it implies a sudden and complete cessation of male sex hormone production and resulting loss of fertility. In reality, the process is more of a gradual decline with reduction, and not cessation, of testosterone production. As a result, other terms have also been used to describe the same phenomenon. These include ‘symptomatic late onset hypogonadism’, ‘androgen deficiency (or decline) of the ageing male’, or ‘partial androgen deficiency in ageing males’.