Male Menopause! But Boy! Is it Painful?

What is the midlife crisis? Is it a malady? Or is “male menopause” only a new word? Or is it a losers theory who has reached the other side of thirty. The reasons for all that, though according to experts are manifold. Stress, long working hours, fierce competition at workplace and the horror of being replaced by a younger man or a woman.

The pressure cooker position to stay on top of one’s job is often the prime reason that leads a man to this malady. According to a chief psychologist at the Parkway hospital in Capetown Dr John Lipthorn who points out that if a working professional does not reach the top of the ladder by 36, his chances of getting there becomes less. So stress sets in and along with it a sense of incompetence.

The trend of early midlife crisis is evident all over the world and not only in Brazil, Russia, India, China, Japan and Thailand. A survey recently made by RELATE, a marketing guidance survey in the U.K. which disclosed that it was indeed a condition that hit people as young as 35. The survey found that most of them worked very long hours, were lonely and had little time for relationships and were stressed out about money and their jobs. All these conditions naturally led to the midlife blues.

Some experts argue that men are at risk of suffering the symptoms of mid-life crisis from the age of 30, although the period from the late 30s to age 50 is generally nearer the mark for most.

The modern world  puts a particularly high value on youth, and sidelines older people, it’s difficult for many people to move smoothly into their middle years. Men reaching mid-life may feel a loss of masculinity and confusion about their future role. Divorce, insecurity at work and the changing role of men add to the uncertainty many feel during this time of metamorphisis.

Many men find the changes in sexual functioning of their bodies  which come with getting older unsettling. Suddenly, you can’t do it three times a night any more, it’s harder to get an erection. Is this the start of the slippery slope? And where will it end?

By middle age, men may have achieved most of their realistic goals and be unclear about their future direction. Relationships  also change, and are these days, more often adversely affected, especially when children leave the parental home