Irritable male syndrome

Irritable Male Syndrome can simply be defined by breaking down its components. Diamond described Irritable as becoming angry very fast, Male as a sex that produces sperm to fertilize eggs for offspring, and Syndrome as a lot of symptoms pointing to a disease, disorder, or abnormal condition. It is proven that males produce less testosterone as they get older. Irritable Male Syndrome has a lot of symptoms that will show up throughout a male's life at different times. There can be many causes and are various treatments options that will help with Irritable Male Syndrome.

Irritable Male Syndrome usually manifests itself in many ways, especially during major transitions throughout a male’s life, but can occur any time. There are three main stages when a male can experience Irritable Male Syndrome. From age 12–15 years old testosterone levels increase with the onset of puberty, 15–25 years old testosterone levels are at their all time high, 40–55 years old testosterone levels begin to slightly decrease known as Andropause or Male Menopause. Andropause can also occur earlier for some males, as early as 35 years old, or later for other males, as late as 65 years old. During Andropause or Male Menopause as the symptoms become serious with a drop in testosterone progresses, the individual will usually start to notice more of the changes but still put the blame on anyone or anything but himself. Therefore, the earlier that it is realized the easier it will be to try to treat and even if it isn’t realized until later stages there is still a chance of being treated. Scientific studies are starting to increase on the syndrome making it possibly a new disorder among the male gender.

History

Irritable male syndrome (IMS), is a term coined by a doctor working at the Medical Research Council's Human Reproductive Sciences Unit, in Edinburgh, Scotland, who studied the mating cycle of Soay sheep. During the autumn, the rams' testosterone levels soared and they mated. In the winter, testosterone levels fell and they stopped mating. As their testosterone levels were falling, rams became nervous and withdrawn, striking out irrationally. Lincoln has observed these same changes in behavior in red deer, reindeer, and Indian elephants. Thus the term covers symptoms thought to be caused by a drop in testosterone levels in male mammals that have well-defined mating cycles. IMS is a striking feature in mammals with seasonal breeding patterns; it manifests at the end of the mating season.

The term was alternatively defined by Jed Diamond, an author and lay person, as a state of hypersensitivity, anxiety, frustration, and anger that occurs in male human beings; Diamond considered it to be part of the andropause, which he defined as hormonal, physiological, and chemical changes that occur in all middle-aged men. Diamond felt that stress is a common trigger, especially when combined with rapid hormone changes later in life.

Symptoms

Symptoms for Irritable Male Syndrome will usually start out mild with the male not even realizing what is happening and will end up becoming exceedingly serious.

The main symptoms include hypersensitivity, anxiety, frustration, and anger. Hypersensitive males don’t realize the hypersensitivity and instead blame others for being irritating. Anxiety can result in the individual becoming fearful, feeling uncertain, or apprehensive. Frustration develops when the male feels like he is not getting what he wants and ends up feeling defeated. Anger is an emotion when males become hostile or displeased sometimes leading to depression.

Other symptoms may include:

· Social Withdrawal

· Mood Swings

· Depression

· Lack of Libidio

· Hot flashes

· Head and Back Aches

· Sarcastic/Hostile Behavior

· Emotional Intensity

· Tense

· Argumentative

· Frustrated

· Demanding

· Impatient

· Unloving

· Defensive

· Loss of Muscle Mass and Bone Density

· High Blood Pressure

· Diabetes

Causes

Irritable Male Syndrome has one major cause and that is a decreasing level of testosterone in the male body. Although that occurs naturally at approximately 0.5% a year, the change is just big enough to cause a notable difference in behavior. The male sex hormone testosterone fluctuates as frequently as every hour, therefore establishing a lack of concreteness where the average amount of testosterone is concerned. However, it is known that males’ levels of testosterone skyrocket during puberty and plateau somewhere around middle adulthood. After the plateau period ends, that is where Irritable Male Syndrome may come in to play. With less testosterone in the male body, often a larger amount of estrogen is produced. With the rise in estrogen comes a rise in the probability of irritability and some of the other symptoms associated with IMS.

Along with aging, weight gain can also be considered a cause of IMS because fat cells hold more estrogen, therefore reducing the overall amount of testosterone in a male’s body. Although aging and improper lifestyles may be causes of IMS, they are surely not the only ones. Often men who do not practice good health, take certain medications, or are frequently stressed are at a much higher probability for gaining IMS than their other male counterparts. Cortisol, the stress hormone, adds to the force of estrogen which replaces testosterone. Andropause, which could be considered the equivalent to menopause, is essentially the gradual decline in the testosterone levels of males as they age. This, paired with extra sources of testosterone reduction can heighten the chances of IMS in males.

Treatment

Treatment for IMS is very simple. Like any other disorder or syndrome, the earlier it is detected the better. The first step in treating IMS if one believes they are plagued with it is to have a hormone test done to evaluate the current hormone levels in the body. If the results indicate that there may be a possibility of IMS, men have a number of choices on how to remedy it. One choice is to simply lose weight. Lessening the number of fat cells in the body would most likely reduce the amount of estrogen being produced, thus creating more testosterone and balancing the situation easily. This can be done by going on a tailored nutrition plan and participating in regular exercise.

Another potential way to treat IMS is by using hormone treatments such as hormone replacements. It is frequently used in women who are suffering with menopause to help return the equilibrium to their sex hormones. The same can be done with a man only instead of giving him more estrogen, he would receive more testosterone. Doing so would restore the balance to the sex hormones and make his life one of a better quality. Ultimately Irritable Male Syndrome is one that can be easily adjusted and accounted for so long as the male seeks help from a physician of some sort. So long as his testosterone levels remain about the same, IMS should only slightly affect him or not affect him at all.

External links

• Archived 2010-05-22 at the Wayback Machine