Menopause is the cessation of menstruation and fertility in women due to the loss of estrogen and progesterone, typically occurring around age 51. Andropause is the gradual decrease in testosterone and 5-DHEA in men starting around age 35, with symptoms such as decreased sex drive and bone loss sometimes occurring in their 50s. Surgery and chemotherapy can cause early onset of menopause.
The climacteric is the complete arrest of reproductive capacity for women and the gradual decrease of reproductive capacity for men. In women, this process is known as menopause, typically begins in the late thirties and is characterized by the loss of both estrogen and progesterone. Menopausal women experience the gradual cessation of menstruation and eventually complete loss of fertility. In men, the climacteric is called andropause, and is a more gradual decrease in the production of the hormones testosterone and dehydroepiandrosterone (5-DHEA), beginning around age 35. Symptoms of andropause typically do not occur until testosterone and 5 -DHEA have been lost by age 55 or older, but not all men experience symptoms.
Menopause is the common name for climacteric in women. This process typically occurs gradually over a period of two to ten years beginning in the late thirties and is considered complete, typically around age 51, when a woman does not menstruate for a full year. During the menopause process, the ovaries gradually produce less estrogen and progesterone, causing fewer viable eggs to mature, decreasing fertility up to infertility. Also, the menstrual cycle becomes irregular and eventually stops. During this time, many women experience symptoms such as bone loss, hot flashes, sleep problems, mood swings, hair loss, a tendency to retain belly fat, and reduced sex drive.
Surgery to remove the ovaries or a complete hysterectomy to remove the ovaries, uterus and fallopian tubes will cause the sudden absence of the hormones estrogen and progesterone. This results in an earlier than normal onset of menopause and a shorter and often more difficult menopause. Chemotherapy can also cause periods to stop temporarily or it can permanently damage the ovaries, leading to early menopause.
Andropause is the male form of climacteric. Starting at age 35, the male body will start producing less testosterone and 5-DHEA. The male climacteric process is very gradual and often the physiological impact of this moderate loss of testosterone and 5-DHEA will go unnoticed. For some men in their 55s, the cumulative loss of these hormones will produce symptoms such as decreased sex drive, impotence, depression, bone loss, fatigue, and sleep problems. The difference between menopause and andropause is that menopause ends with total reproductive inability in women, and andropause only sometimes results in mild or occasional impairment in men’s reproductive ability.
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