Men are often portrayed, either fairly or unfairly, as big boys, whose only difference between themselves and younger boys are the expense of their toys. Because men can reproduce well into middle age, and their hormone cycles are not as sharp and well-defined as women's, as long as they remain relatively healthy they can keep their big boy status for quite a while. So if the boy to bigger boy scenario works as a societal factor, what does medical science have to say about it? Medical experts are beginning to understand that between boys to men is not so simple. There are a variety of cultural, genetic, and social imperatives that might make change, whether the big boys like it or not, compulsory and inevitable.

Testosterone, that much admired and maligned hormone, would seem to be as imperative to a male's development as air or water. Think about it, when a man reaches about thirty years of age, a subtle change takes place in his body. His level of testosterone begins to decrease by about one percent per year. This lowering of testosterone production doesn't really make itself evident until several years have elapsed, so that by the time a man has reached his forties and fifties the overall decrease is quite profound. This is when symptoms become more and more noticeable: hair loss, decreased endurance, anxiety, sexual dysfunctions, and a sense of emotional depression.

How do men cope with this male menopause? Often times they turn to big toys, whether it is a shiny sports car or a trophy wife, they all boil down to the same thing: they're trying to avoid the inevitable process of growing older.

Some men going through male menopause can find ample rationalization for acquiring toys that they think will keep them young (or at least appearing to be young). For instance, many businessmen believe that the appearance they present to the world has a direct impact on their level of success. That's why it's not too difficult for a canny salesperson to close the deal on a flashy motorcycle with a menopausal man, or for a hair restoration clinic to convince a 50-something fellow that it makes good business-sense to walk into board meetings with an ample head of hair.

You need only watch a television commercial claiming that there's "no play for mister gray" to see the kind of technique that marketers use to leverage these potential customers into trying to buy a few more years of youth.

As a man moves through the portion of his life where he begins to slow down, the number of folks selling sweet youthful dreams increases and one day a chap pulls into the driveway of his family home on a motorcycle, prompting his baffled wife to ask "are you nuts?"

Well, yes and no. But the motorcycle won't change the testosterone level in his body, so the big toy will not have the long-term desired effect. Hormone therapy may be the answer and although it isn't as seemingly satisfying as a shiny new car, it can certainly help (and it's not nearly as expensive).