By: Red Hot Mamas
Published: November 15, 2011
Is your husband or boyfriend suffering from Grumpy Man Syndrome? Is he sleepless, irritable like a rubber band waiting to pop, anxious, depressed, and experiencing muscle aches and pains? Is his middle spreading (pop belly) and his libido crashing? If you are living with Grumpy and you’re not Snow White, your husband or lover could be going through male menopause! Also, called andropause.
If you, yourself are going through perimenopause and menopause (I call it PM&M for short), you might be thinking, “wait a second, I have a lot of those symptoms…this is my thing, not his!” Well, this is not like when you were pregnant and your husband had cravings for pickles and ice cream…those are sympathy cravings. Male Menopause symptoms are real and important to pay attention to!
You can help –encourage him to get in touch with how he feels. Take out the Shmirshky Daily Symptoms Chart and break open the conversation! You can help each other keep track of your symptoms so you can communicate clearly and easily with your doctor.
Encourage him to make an appointment with his internist and ask for a testosterone test. This is a simple blood test! Bring the Shmirshky Daily Symptoms Chart to the doctor to help the doctor understand what he is experiencing.
Talk it out! Share with your loved ones so they understand how you feel and can love and support you along the way. If you talk about it, then your husband/lover/children/co-workers will not personalize your moods but rather sympathize and support you.
Together you can find hormone happiness and have hormone harmony in your house.
Remember: Reaching out is IN! Suffering in silence is OUT!
For some more info on andropause – check out these links:
New position statement from the European Menopause and Andropause Society (EMAS)
Man-O-Pause? Men Too Experience Hormonal Decline
About “E”
“E” is the pen name of Ellen Sarver Dolgen, author of Shmirshky: the pursuit of hormone happiness—a cut-to-the-chase book on perimenopause and menopause that’s filled with crucial information, helpful guides, and hilarious and heartfelt stories. Known for her humor, compassion, and sassy personality, E has appeared on numerous television and radio broadcasts, including: the “Rachael Ray Show,” “The Doctors,” Oprah Radio, Playboy Radio, “Tell Me More” on NPR, Doctor Radio, and dozens of other regional and national media outlets. She appears monthly as a menopause and women’s wellness guest on KSWB Fox 5 Morning News San Diego and is a regular guest on the popular radio show, “Broadminded,” on Sirius XM Radio (Stars XM 107). E is also one of the first regular contributors to debut on the Huffington Post’s latest site, Huff/Post50. When E isn’t promoting women’s health and wellness, she’s busy trying her best not to eat all the ice cream in the freezer.
About Shmirshky: the pursuit of hormone happiness
The book, Shmirshky: the pursuit of hormone happiness is your perimenopause and menopause (PM&M) toolkit. It condenses a confusing and daunting medical topic into an easy-to-understand, purse-sized guide that can be used as a reference throughout your PM&M experience. Reading Shmirshky is like getting a big, comforting hug from a dear friend who happens to know a lot about menopause!
Oh, and by the way, “shmirshky” (pronounced SHMERSH-KEY) is a playful name for vagina and the women who possess them. Visit Shmirshky.com for everything you wanted to know about perimenopause and menopause but were afraid to ask!