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Testosterone Supplements for Andropausal Men of No Benefit LONDON -- September 3, 1997 -- The symptoms of the so-called andropause can readily be explained by stress, rather than testosterone deficiency, claim doctors from the Bristol Urological Institute in Postgraduate Medical Journal. It may be fashionable to give andropausal men testosterone supplements, write Drs Gingell and Burns-Cox, but there is no convincing evidence that such treatment will alleviate their symptoms and may, in fact, be potentially dangerous. Although the term andropause has been given spurious credibility because it implies hormone deficiency as a result of failing sex organs, equivalent to the female menopause, there is no equivalent process in men, say the authors. Some elderly men have the same levels of male hormones as younger men. The ill-defined collection of symptoms attributable to the andropause in middle-aged or elderly men -- fatigue, depression, irritability, reduced sex drive and impotence -- all too frequently occur in men with normal testosterone levels. The incidence of erectile dysfunction increases with age, and it is tempting to correlate this with the relative decrease in testosterone seen with age. In men whose male hormone levels are not especially low, supplements could stimulate latent prostate cancer. This is a particular problem with the use of testosterone patches which sustain the hormone at a constant level. "Unlike the proven benefits of hormone replacement therapy in women, the effects of testosterone supplementation in men are equivocal," conclude the authors. "It may increase sexual interest, but rarely to a level thought adequate by the patient. It has no proven benefit on erectile dysfunction, and other possible beneficial effects on haemopoiesis [blood formation], bone metabolism, lipids and fibrinolysis [blood coagulation] have yet to be demonstrated." E-mail this page to a friend or colleague! To print, use this version