Male Andropause vs. Female Menopause: Understanding the Changes of Midlife

Growing older is something every human being experiences. And yet, when our bodies begin changing in midlife, it can sometimes feel as though we have entered unfamiliar territory. Energy may change. Sleep may change. Hormones change. Sexual desire may change. Our bodies may look or feel different. And sometimes, seemingly out of nowhere, much bigger questions begin surfacing:

Who am I at this stage of my life?

Am I happy?

Does my relationship still fulfill me?

Am I doing something meaningful with my life?

What do I want the next chapter to look like?

For females, conversations about midlife often center around menopause. For males, we sometimes hear terms such as andropause, male climacteric, or even the familiar “midlife crisis.” While these experiences are not identical, both remind us of something important: Midlife isn't simply a biological transition. It can also be an emotional, relational, sexual, and deeply personal one.

What Happens During Female Menopause?

Menopause marks the end of menstruation and reproductive capacity in female bodies. According to the data, the median age is identified as approximately 51, although there is considerable individual variation.

The transition surrounding menopause is often referred to as the climacteric, during which the body undergoes physiological changes associated with menopause. And despite the way menopause is sometimes portrayed in popular culture, not every woman experiences it in the same way.

Some experience relatively few disruptive symptoms, while others may encounter changes such as hot flashes, sleep difficulties, headaches, weight changes, and changes involving the hair, breasts, and genital tissues. Hormonal changes - particularly changes involving estrogen - can play an important role in some of these experiences. But the physical changes are only part of the story.

How We Think About Menopause Matters

One of the most interesting aspects of menopause is the role that meaning and interpretation can play in the experience.

For one woman, menopause might represent loss:

I'm getting older.

My body is changing.

Will I still be attractive?

What does this mean for my sexuality?

For another, it may represent freedom.

No more menstruation.

No more worrying about an unintended pregnancy.

A new stage of life.

A different relationship with her body.

An opportunity to redefine herself.

The transition may be biologically based, but the meaning we attach to that transition can profoundly influence how we experience it. And this becomes even more fascinating when we look across cultures.

What If We Celebrated Menopause?

The research highlights striking cultural differences in women's reported experiences of menopause. The first studies on the topic described comparatively low reports of menopausal symptoms among Japanese, Mayan, and some Indigenous women. The research also highlights how in many cultures, menopause has historically been viewed not simply as an ending, but as an important rite of passage into elderhood, a stage associated with respect, wisdom, and new social roles. That raises a question I find particularly meaningful: What if our broader culture viewed menopause that way?

Imagine if growing older were not primarily presented to females as something to fear, conceal, reverse, or apologize for. What if it were also understood as an arrival: An achievement; A new chapter; A time when experience becomes wisdom and when a woman's changing body does not diminish her value, attractiveness, sexuality, or importance. Perhaps some of our difficulty with aging comes not only from what our bodies are doing, but from the stories our culture has taught us about what those changes are supposed to mean.

What About Men? Understanding Andropause/Male Climacteric

Men experience changes during midlife too, although they do not experience a direct biological equivalent of menopause. The terms andropause, male climacteric, and "manopause" have been used to describe a period of midlife change that can involve both declining testosterone and significant psychological and social reevaluation. Unlike menopause, this is generally a more gradual process.

According to the research, male climacteric is discussed as occurring broadly between approximately ages 35 and 60 and often coinciding with events that force a man to reconsider who he is and what he wants from life: Perhaps the children leave home; a parent dies; a career becomes less satisfying; a relationship changes; a job is lost; the body begins aging in noticeable ways; sexual functioning or desire may change; and suddenly questions that were easy to ignore at 25 or 30 can become much louder.

The Questions of Midlife

During this period, a man may begin asking himself:

Is what I'm doing with my life actually meaningful?

Would I have been happier if I had chosen a different career?

Am I satisfied with my relationship?

Is this really how I want to spend the rest of my life?

Those are big questions. And I don't necessarily think asking them means someone is having a “crisis.” Sometimes they may represent something much more constructive: a reevaluation. Midlife can confront us with the reality that time is finite. When we are young, life can feel almost endless. There will always be another opportunity, another career move, another adventure, another chance to change direction.

Midlife can change that perspective. We begin looking backward at the life we have created while simultaneously looking forward at the ever-decreasing life we still have available to us. That can be uncomfortable. But it can also be incredibly valuable.

Testosterone, Mood, Sexuality, and Well-Being

The male midlife transition isn't purely psychological. There is a gradual decline in testosterone that can occur as men age and the physical and psychological experiences that may accompany these changes.

These can include changes in:

• Sexual interest and activity

• Energy and fatigue

• Sleep

• Memory and concentration

• Mood

• Irritability

• Self-confidence

• Decision-making

• Physical sensations

• Overall sense of well-being

For some men, fears surrounding aging may also become intertwined with concerns about physical strength, sexual performance, career satisfaction, attractiveness, and identity. This is where our cultural expectations surrounding masculinity can become particularly important. If a man has spent decades believing his value comes primarily from being strong, sexually capable, financially successful, productive, independent, and in control, what happens when aging begins challenging some of those identities? That can be a difficult adjustment. But it can also create an opportunity to develop a much broader definition of what it means to be a man.

Midlife Doesn't Have to Mean Crisis

I think we sometimes do ourselves a disservice by automatically describing this period as a midlife crisis. Certainly, people can experience genuine distress during midlife. Depression, anxiety, relationship dissatisfaction, concerns about aging, career frustration, and changing sexuality should never simply be dismissed as someone “going through a phase.”

But reevaluating your life does not automatically mean something is wrong. Maybe the question isn't: “Why am I having a midlife crisis?” Maybe it is: “What is this stage of my life asking me to pay attention to?” That shift in perspective can be a powerful catalyst for healing and self-understanding.

Our Bodies Change. Our Need for Connection Doesn't.

Female menopause and male midlife hormonal changes are biologically different experiences. But they share something deeply human. Both can bring us face-to-face with change: Our bodies change; our roles change; our families change; our relationships change; our sexuality may change; and our understanding of ourselves may change.

None of that means that intimacy, sexuality, attraction, pleasure, purpose, or meaningful relationships have an expiration date. Quite the opposite. Midlife can become an opportunity to understand ourselves in ways we may never have had the time, or courage, to explore earlier.

It can invite conversations with our partners that we have avoided. It can encourage us to reconsider what intimacy means. It can challenge assumptions about masculinity, femininity, attractiveness, aging, and sexuality. And perhaps most importantly, it can remind us that change does not have to mean decline.

A Different Way to Think About Growing Older

What if we stopped treating aging as something we are supposed to defeat? What if instead we became curious about it? Menopause does not make a woman less of a woman. Declining testosterone does not make a man less of a man. Changes in sexuality do not mean sexuality has ended. And reaching midlife does not mean the most meaningful parts of our lives are behind us.

Perhaps this stage is an invitation to ask better questions:

Who have I become?

What have I learned?

What still brings me joy?

What kind of intimacy do I want now?

What relationships deserve more of my attention?

What am I ready to release?

And what do I want to create with the life still ahead of me?

Those don't sound like questions of decline to me. They sound like questions of growth.

~Dr. Travis Sky Ingersoll

*This article was adapted from my educational video, “Male Climacteric vs. Female Menopause,” exploring the biological, psychological, cultural, sexual, and relational dimensions of midlife change.

View the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bkhA7CItrmk