Is andropause a new phenomenon?

Yes and no.  Andropause was first described in medical literature in the 1940s, and since then there has been a large amount of data collected since the first study appeared in the Journal of the American Medical Association (1944, 126, p.472-477), indicating a direct connection between the variety of symptoms we have described and male hormone imbalance.  What is new, however, is our ability to diagnose it properly.  Accurate tests for available testosterone weren’t available until recently, and often physicians didn't always think of low-testosterone levels as a possible culprit, so andropause has gone through a long period where it was missed, dismissed, or inadequately treated.  These factors often led doctors to conclude that symptoms were related to other medical conditions (such as depression), or were simply a consequence of ageing, and often encouraged their patients to accept that these were the symptoms of old age.  Now that men are living longer, there is heightened interest in andropause, and new blood testing methods available there will help to advance our approach to this important life stage that was identified so long ago.

Causes of Andropause >>