"Man" opause or Andropause

Gents,

I did a search on these terms and didn’t really get anything. I know there are several threads for Low-T and the like. Unfortunately, because of a crazy schedule, I won’t be able to go to see the Dr. until December earliest, and probably not till the new year.

I don’t know if I’ve hit andropause or not, haven’t seen the doctor yet, but I think everything is saying yes. I am only 43 years old…. ugh. I have classically been a very energetic person, very excitable about work, my kids, the wife (in all the ways), etc. In the last 6 months I have been miserable, and in the last 2-3 months I can’t even get excited to have sex or keep an erection even during it. My wife is not to blame at all. While she (and I!!!) have a couple of extra pounds on us, she is very hot, and has always been out of my league, lol. I have been a hound dog after her since we met in 2002… yeah, 21 years, married for 17.

It’s bad, though, and not just on the sex front. I am constantly worried about money, even though I’ve done better this year than I ever have. I can’t get excited about cool jobs or doing fun stuff with the kids. I can’t keep it up during sex with the wife. Wierdly I can still jerk off to get rid of loads, but even still, it is more mechanical than fun.

Really sucks. Sex is, like, literally the most fun thing ever, and I have no drive for it, even when in the midst of it. I obviously talk with her about this but she doesn’t get it of course. We even talked about when I was doing PE and how erections were amazing, etc, and she said to go ahead and do it if that’s what would work!!! I mean, that should be insanely motivating, I know the first time she and I talked about it years ago, she eventually said she liked it alot (but the whole "you don’t have to" etc.) but she loves the results. But I can’t even get myself to a place to start trying, I just don’t care.

Life in general is so good for me right now, and I am like borderline depressed, tired all the time, kinda grumpy, etc. Literally no drive. Thoughts?

Guys, I really want to beat this without having to go on treatments. I have read all the other forums, and I am semi-OK with suppliments if they are kind of normal (read: no direct T suppliements or the like). I want to do the exercise bit of it, but damn I can’t even get myself to do anything. I am in decent shape and do a lot of heavy work around the house (remodelling) and backpacking with heavy loads. I have a big hunting trip coming up in a week and a half with my buddies which should let me disconnect and regroup my thoughts. No booze or computers or porn obviously during the trip so it should be a good detox from that side of things. Hell, if the trip does the trick, maybe I am just too stressed out. I will let you know!

Also, since I just opened this up, I will try to keep you all apprised of what I find out so that those that experience this might be able to navigate also. Let me know what you think or if you have had the same thing and what might have worked for you!!! Mad respect for all of you guys that have helped me in my PE journey. Hopefully I can help by documenting this and making it normal for guys to know that this kind of shit happens.

I don’t recall the exact age that I started having the same symptoms that you are describing. It took me a few years and finally a question to a doctor wondering if it was medically induced issues. She encouraged me to get my testosterone checked. It turns out that a rock produces more testosterone naturally than I do. I then began getting low testosterone treatments. I remember having a wet dream shortly after starting. I was like “what the hell”. I have not looked back and I am still on a regular maintenance schedule. I encourage you to go and get the test of your levels. I look back at the years I endured with the low testosterone as my lost years. Good luck in getting back in the groove.

Definitely go to your doctor and have your T levels checked just in case.

Other than that though, are you taking care of yourself? Both physically and mental health-wise?

You mentioned you have a few extra lb. A good regular exercise regimen that includes strength training and cardio can make a big difference not only to your body and EQ, but also for your mental health.
Walking outdoors is especially good for one’s mental health and is more effective to stave off depression than anti-depressants.

Regular strength training, especially while in a fasted state can also increase testosterone and HGH levels naturally.

I am also having problems in the bedroom. (Which really, really bothers me.) Last night was our “fun” night. And my performance pathetic. A little better than last week, but this is the second week in a row, I couldn’t keep an erection for decent penetration. And I took my Cialis prior to both times. Nothing bothers me more.

I did two 10 minute pump sessions about 4 hours prior. 10 minutes, 5hg. Last week alcohol could’ve been a factor. Last night I had no alcohol for about 4-5 hours prior to fun time.

I’m 54, never had my testosterone checked. Could this be a T issue? Was the pumping a couple hours prior too much? I wouldn’t think so, but I don’t know. I haven’t jogged for about a year and a half, I’m going to start up again. I know that can help. But, I think something else is going on. Never been this bad.

Is it overdoing PE? A testosterone issue? Bad/average cardio? Any ideas guys?

I get my yearly checkup early in the new year, but if this keeps up, I might have to go in earlier

What’s your daily routine? Do you exercise frequently? Do you have a healthy diet or you eat junk food often? Do you lift weights? Are you overweight or in great shape?

There are many questions to your situation but starting with these will get the solution closer to you fast enough, 54 is not old.

I would definitely get a blood work done with your hormones included just to make sure everything is in its place and if everything seems good most likely there is something to fix on your lifestyle.

Pumping can severely cause low EQ, you need to listen to your penis and try to understand if he is "tired" of the practice.

I’m 5’9”, 185 lbs. I am not fat by any means, but I definitely have a gut/big belly. I’ve never really been into lifting weights, but have jogged for off and on periods throughout my life.

PE is on days I have off (I work 4 days on, 4 days off) I do a warmup, 5 minutes stretch, about 300 ulis, 12-15 mins pump w/FIR pad. Then in the evening, a few more ulis, and another 10 minute heated pump. I do this every other day on my off days. The other 2 off days I’ll do a 10 minute heated pump, 1 in the morning, 1 in the evening.

Days I work, I don’t do hardly any PE. Piss pulls when I can, and maybe two pumps. One 5 minute one day, and a 10-12 another day. So my routine is pretty strenuous on my off days, light to none on work days.

Opinions on my situation/lifestyle/routine?

You seem in shape to me to be honest. Lifting weights even lightly is scientifically proven to boost testosterone by quite a lot, especially legs workout.

The only real thing I see wrong are the 300 ULIs, man you are killing your unit, that’s way too much to put next to pumping, my penis would explode for a month if I would try your routine. Definitely slow your routine and PE days down, maybe you are like me one of the "less is more" guys.

Make sure to drink tons of water and not too many alcoholic beverages and most importantly soda drinks.

My EQ pretty shot after pumping, so maybe as a first step don’t PE the. Day you’re going to have sex??

Also, how often and how much alcohol do you drink?
You mentioned you hadn’t had alcohol for 4-5 hours before sex… alcohol is not good for EQ either… and I’ve heard it can render cialis/viagra ineffective or less effective.

Finally, a lot of EQ issues can be psychological and it’s SOOO easy to self-sabotage especially once you experience a problem. Just the one time issue can then create a recurring problem because you are worried it will happen again or that there is something actually wrong.

Sometimes it can be helpful to take a step back and work on enjoying giving pleasure to your partner with your mouth and hands, not putting all the pressure of the success of the whole experience on your erection…

I drink plenty of water on work days. As far as the ulis, my definition of 300 is 10 ulis. But after putting the torniquet on for 10, 30 second squeezes. I just count while fully squeezing, every second I push forward in a jelqing motion without realeasing the squeeze.
But, you are probably right, it’s probably too much. Maybe do it twice a week.
I quit all soda a couple years ago.
Thanks for your input.

There’s no doubt I drink alcohol more than I should. I’m trying to curb it. So, yes that definitely could play a part.
I also agree with it could be a self-sabotage, is playing a part. Once it happens, it fucks with your mind next time. Thank you and Accro for your responses. I will start with all these issues, and have my T checked early next year.

Yeah man, the mind is a crazy thing. Once a negative thought gets in there it’s a thing to remedy. I’m 52, in ok shape and drink a ton of beer 12-18 ultra light beers a day. Every day. My EQ was weird like you’re describing about 2 years ago. I was wrecked, thinking this is it, no more wood, no more sex F it. What’s life worth?
I just went online and got T therapy. I inject daily. That and cialis a couple times a week and I’m raging hard.
I haven’t taken cialis in 4 days now and I see the decline in EQ but now understanding that there’s a remedy, it still allows me to perform at a lower EQ without going soft completely. It’s that mind trick, knowing your dick still works fine allows you to relax and get aroused.
… Just my experience. Hope you can work through this.

Dude, thanks for your response. We are similar in our drinking habits, unfortunately.

Did you get a test to see where your T’s at prior to online treatment? Where would one search for good online treatment of low T?

Thanks again.

I didn’t notice any performance change when I went on testosterone. However, at 54 it’s time to have it checked, and you’re most likely going to be "average for your age" or low.

Have you had slow recovery after pumping before? A lot of men have a limit to how much PE they can do before their EQ starts to drop. It’s not a problem unless you *need* that erection, of course.

Jogging isn’t great for your knees, particularly at 54. Do you have room for a barbell?

You want the complete testosterone/estradiol array, vitamin D3 test, and the complete thyroid array. You might need to read up on the symptomology to know what to say to the doctor so he can justify the tests to your insurance carrier or his corporate masters.

1-I will definitely have it checked. Would a supplement like Nugenix be worth a try?
2- Yes, I have had some slow recovery times. I tend to cave into the allure of being thicker right before fun times. I definitely need to curb that.
3- I’ve never had any issues with my knees. And I’ve never been into the weight lifting thing. Do you think/ how would that help?
4- I am going to put this thread in my favorites so I remember what all to ask for.
Thanks Andy!

It *could*, but testosterone-booster supplements are a crap shoot, and they’re often a potpourri of things that can cause odd side effects.

Low testosterone doesn’t actually have much to do with sexual performance or libido, but it has a lot to do with general health.

There’s no real problem there; you just have to experiment to find how much you can tolerate before EQ sags.

You haven’t had any issues with your knees *yet*. Welcome to the "senior citizen" demographic.

Weight lifting - exercise in general, for that matter - has a pronounced effect on general health. You can find a bunch of web pages telling you "exercise is good", but if you want the nitty gritty, it’s worth the $25 to buy a copy of "The Barbell Prescription: Strength Training for Life After 40" by Johnathon Sullivan. He’s an associate of Mark Rippetoe, who runs the "Starting Strength" franchise. Sullivan’s extension to SS concentrates on the older population. "Older" in the athletic sense is "over 35", just in case you haven’t had your morning bout of cheer yet. I have some gripes about the book, but as far as I know it’s the most concise information you can find. Unless you have unlimited time, it’s worth the $25 to have what you need all in one chunk.

You might be able to borrow a copy from your local library via the "Inter-Library Loan" program. Call or email them and see.

Due to how the medical industry works nowadays, unless there’s some entirely obvious reason to run a test, you have to ask. Being sickly or "blah" isn’t likely to make a doc run tests; that’s the state of almost every patient they see.