Male Menopause: Is It Real, or Is Something Else Going On?
Shorter fuse. Bigger waistline. A sex drive that seems to have booked a holiday without you. Is this the 'male menopause'?
Someone at the pub mentions it, and suddenly everything makes sense. It has a name! It's just your age!
Except it might not be. The symptoms are real. The label, not so much. And blaming it all on a midlife hormone crash could mean missing something that's very fixable.
Contents
So, is male menopause real?
The usual suspects (that aren't 'just your age')
What about testosterone?
Check the lot in one go: Well Man 360
Your questions, answered
So, is male menopause real?
Short answer: not in the way most people think. Women go through a clear, relatively sudden hormonal shift at menopause. Men don't. The NHS calls 'male menopause' (or 'andropause') an unhelpful term.
Testosterone does drift down gradually with age, by roughly 1% a year from your 30s or 40s. That slow decline usually isn't the problem on its own. Some men do develop genuinely low testosterone (hypogonadism), but plenty of others have the same symptoms for completely different reasons.
So if you're nodding along to low libido, tiredness, irritability, poor concentration, broken sleep or losing strength, that's your cue to get curious, not to diagnose yourself from a checklist.
The usual suspects (that aren't 'just your age')
Your thyroid. An underactive thyroid can bring exhaustion, weight gain, constipation, low mood and foggy thinking. Feeling colder than everyone else or noticing dry skin are extra clues (NHS). A simple blood test can check it.
Your sleep. Eight hours in bed isn't the same as eight hours of good sleep. Loud snoring, gasping or choking at night, morning headaches and daytime exhaustion can point to sleep apnoea, which is more common if you carry extra weight, drink alcohol or sleep on your back (NHS). It needs a GP assessment; another double espresso won't fix it.
Your mood. Stress, anxiety and depression can flatten your energy, focus, sex drive and patience. Feeling flat isn't a character flaw, and taking your mental health seriously doesn't mean ignoring physical causes. Both deserve attention.
Your blood sugar. Type 2 diabetes can cause tiredness, thirst, needing the loo more often and blurred vision. But the NHS points out that not everyone has symptoms, so it's easy to miss (NHS). An HbA1c blood test shows your average blood sugar over the past few months.
Your everyday habits. Alcohol, some medicines, under-eating, sitting all day, or training hard without enough recovery can all play a part. Often it's not one neat explanation but several things stacking up.
What about testosterone?
It's still worth checking, especially if you've noticed lower libido, fewer morning erections or erection problems. It just needs doing properly: morning samples, repeated if low, and read alongside your symptoms. Get the full lowdown in Low Testosterone in Men: Symptoms, Causes and When to Get Tested.
Check the lot in one go: Well Man 360
Here's why I love a joined-up approach. Our Well Man 360 Complete Hormone & Biomarker Assessment looks at testosterone and most of the usual suspects above, including thyroid, HbA1c, iron, B12 and vitamin D, from one morning blood sample.
Then we sit down together, go through your results alongside your history, and turn them into a practical plan for food, recovery and lifestyle. Anything that needs medical follow-up, like a confirmed low testosterone or a sleep issue, we'll flag for your GP. The value isn't more numbers; it's knowing what to do next.
Frequently Asked Questions
What age does male menopause start? There's no set age, because it isn't a true equivalent of the female menopause. New symptoms in midlife deserve a proper look, not an automatic 'it's your age'.
Does every man need testosterone treatment as he gets older? No. Treatment depends on a confirmed deficiency and its cause, not on age or tiredness alone.
My testosterone is normal. So nothing's wrong? Not necessarily. Thyroid, sleep, mood, blood sugar and lifestyle factors can still explain how you feel.
References:
NHS. The 'male menopause'.
NHS. Underactive thyroid.
NHS. Sleep apnoea.
NHS. Type 2 diabetes symptoms.
This article is for general information and doesn't replace medical advice. Persistent symptoms and suspected testosterone deficiency need medical assessment.
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About Becki Hawkins
Becki Hawkins, BSc (Hons), mBANT, CNHC, is the founder of FIT Nutrition & Testing Clinic and a Registered Nutritional Therapist with over 20 years of experience. She specialises in evidence-based personalised nutrition and functional testing, helping clients uncover the root causes of digestive issues, hormonal imbalances, and unexplained symptoms. Becki combines clinical expertise with culinary creativity, translating complex test results into practical, delicious nutrition plans that work in real life. Her approach is simple: test, don't guess. Because guessing doesn't heal. Knowing does.