There are over 400 million men throughout the world who are between the ages of forty and fifty-five, with over 25 million of them living in the United States. All of these men have something in common: they are candidates for male menopause. Many of these gentleman may be aware that they may have ADAM (Androgen Deficiency of the Aging Male), but most of them haven't got a clue. They just know that their bodies are changing, and it has them worried.

There are several symptoms which these men may be exhibiting that explain their anxiety. Taken alone, each symptom may be dismissed as simply part of getting older, but taken together, they point towards the possibility of male menopause (ADAM).

For instance, many have been unable to avoid noticing that their hair is thinning (or disappearing entirely), that they've begun to put on weight and that their sleep has become irregular. They may have developed a weakness in their eyesight that now requires them to wear glasses and they've also noticed that it takes longer to bounce back from injuries. Healing takes longer and endurance is certainly diminished. These are all physical symptoms that can indicate the possibility of male menopause.

As might be expected, this condition also reveals itself with sexual symptoms. This may include, but not be strictly limited to, a lessening in sexual desire that is ironically coupled with a profound fear of impotence.

However, the physical and sexual symptoms are not the end of the story, because there are psychological symptoms that can be just as disruptive and unsettling to a man as the physical and sexual symptoms are. This often shows up as a seemingly-inexplicable loss of self-confidence, an increase in irritability and anxiety, a sense of depression and a strong tendency toward indecisiveness.

When you put these three distinctly different sets of symptoms together you find yourself having to consider the possibility that you are experiencing male menopause. If the concept of male menopause is new to you, then what you need to consider is that men have hormonal ups-and-downs not unlike the ones that women can experience. And like menopause in females, the male version can have an effect on a person's mood, on their temperament, and, of course, on their sexuality.

Furthermore, the hormonal fluctuations that men may experience with their testosterone can actually occur several times within a single day. This can show itself like an emotional rollercoaster that goes through peaks and troughs and takes the confused and bewildered male with it.

While this may be part and parcel with growing older, it certainly does not mean that it has to go untreated. But it will indeed go untreated if it goes undiagnosed, and the way to resolve that is to go to your doctor and level with him, tell him about the symptoms you are experiencing. He may prescribe some hormonal replacement therapy and perhaps he'll suggest a few changes in your diet and lifestyle that will help things along. But he can't do any of these things to help you unless you are upfront and frank with him about your symptoms.

Male menopause doesn't have to ruin your life and you shouldn't let it do so. Go talk to your doctor about it and soon you'll feel more like the "old you" and not the "older you."