One of the biggest reasons that a lot of men prefer not to talk about, read about, or think about male menopause is because they have heard exaggerated stories about impotence being part and parcel with the condition. Their authoritative source for this story is often "somebody who knows somebody who knows the guy it actually happened to." While it is an undeniable fact that some men may experience a certain amount of erectile dysfunction while they're going through male menopause, the underlying irony is that erectile dysfunction is one of the most prominent (and compelling) symptoms that drives men to finally pick up the phone and call the doctor's office to make an appointment for a physical.

Once a concerned (okay, worried) fellow goes in to meet with his physician, he may be experiencing other male menopausal symptoms that he was unaware were related to the erectile dysfunction. The doctor will ask the types of questions that will help him to arrive at an initial diagnosis.

He may be experiencing depression, or forgetfulness; it's possible that he has feelings of being unloved, being unattractive and without any direction in life. After the doctor has asked all the questions he needs to, he will run some tests to rule out a few other possible ailments or conditions. Then, if male menopause is indicated by the tests and symptoms, the doctor will probably suggest some lifestyle changes like more exercise, less beer, no cigarettes, more veggies in his diet, and increased vitamin C. Then he'll speak with him about HRT (hormone replacement therapy), probably explaining that ever since he was thirty years old, the patient has been experiencing a gradual reduction in the production of the hormone testosterone. This is quite natural, he'll say, and he'll indicate that while it is true that the annual amount of the testosterone decrease is relatively small, about one percent, it becomes significant over time. A fifty year old man may have dropped twenty percent over those twenty years, and that can be quite a change to the system. So, the doctor will prescribe some hormone shots and soon the patient will go home and explain to his wife what is happening.

Then he explains to her the sexual facts that the doctor revealed to him. He says that while it's true that his interest in sexual activity has decreased over the last few years, and he's experienced a few failures to achieve or maintain an erection (for which he was profoundly apologetic), the changes he will be making in his lifestyle should go a long way toward returning some of his old vigor. Plus, he tells her, the HRT will actually replace much of the testosterone he has lost over the years.

As she listens to her husband she is very relieved that he visited the doctor and she's ecstatic that he's planning to make the changes in his diet and lifestyle which should begin to set things right. Those changes, along with his periodic injections of testosterone, will mean that their intimate moments will soon return to the joyous sharing they are accustomed to.