The Man Shed
Sympathy and solutions for your relationships and sexlife.
All women go through the process of the menopause when they experience significant hormonal, physical and psychological changes. This is because the ovaries can only produce the important hormone estrogen for a defined time. Essentially, women now outlive their ovaries and spend an average of a third of their lives in the postmenopausal, estrogen deficient state. Although the same process may occur in men when testosterone decline takes place (the andropause), it is not universal and tends to take place gradually and at a later stage. However, men are not immune from the changes affecting their partner, mother, sister, daughter, female friends and work colleagues.
To help you understand what changes are taking place, have a look at Menopause Symptoms - what happens and when in particular, Menopausal symptoms, including Vaginal problems which are incredibly common and can significantly affect sex and relationships.
See the forum topics:
Please Note: Registration on the forum is for women only.
Be prepared to help your loved one cope with the menopause with the Menopause Matters A,B,C,D,E for Men:
Accept that changes will take place out with her control, it's not her fault
Be informed, read the information on this website and be assured that it is accurate
Consider her needs, emotionally and physically and show her that you Care
Don't necessarily offer solutions, we need time to work out the answers ourselves and Don't assume that you have done something wrong. Do talk about it and Don't go into your cave
Every women is affected differently, what worked for someone else may not be the answer and we need time to find what works best for ourselves - be patient
Links
Menopause Matters Magazine article: Putting the men into menopause
Menopause Matters Magazine article: Listen to what the men said
Menopause Matters Magazine article: Menopause and men
Men... Let’s Talk Menopause: What’s going on and what you can do about it
Ruth Devlin
A comprehensive guide to the female menopause, written for men to help them understand this often perplexing topic. It addresses all the important aspects of the menopause, including the physical, psychological, genito-urinary and long-term symptoms that can occur. It gives essential information on options available to cope with those symptoms plus good advice for men (and women!) on practical lifestyle choices. Short and easy to dip in and out of, with humorous illustrations and practical tips for what you can do (and what NOT to say), this is your essential handbook for surviving the change in YOUR life.
