Some tests say that male testosterone levels have been dropping slowly but steadily for years

[Dover]

?1

And there are all kinds of efforts (drugs, natural therapies, etc.) to address and 'correct' the symptoms.

But why is this happening? Is it due to a kind of cultural male menopause (men on pause..lol), or is it environmental, emotional, spiritual, evolutionary...?

And I've just read that men's testosterone levels go down after they become fathers. It kind of helps to prepare them for a different kind of role and experience of love that doesn't involve them being 'sexual' per se, but more inclined to experience their more feminine attributes of nurture. http://www.mayoclinicproceedings.com/content/76/6/582.full.pdf

So while it might be a bit scary for men who are actually experiencing this testosterone deficit, particularly if testosterone levels are lower nationwide, I wonder if perhaps we are going through some important cultural changes that requires less testosterone and more nurture. Perhaps we're giving birth to something totally new!

Nature is remarkable in its ability to adapt to changing circumstances. Some animals produce less offspring if conditions threaten their food supply, for instance. And we forget that we are animals and part of nature. So these changes don't mean something is 'wrong' necessarily. And I'm sure this is not occurring in a vacuum or exclusive to men. Women and all of nature are surely going through similar changes.

This is obviously a complex subject without any neat and tidy, conclusive answers. More likely it is a cumulative and diverse convergence of causes.

But I ran across this article which ponders some possibilities. I'm not particularly endorsing the article but hope it stimulates thought and/or conversation about the broader implications and significance of our physiological responses to change and necessity.


Problem With Man - Decreasing Testosterone Because of Micro Evolution


...In men testosterone builds muscle, enhances sex drive, elevates the mood, prevents osteoporosis and increases energy. Men's testosterone levels have been decreasing since the 1980's. Apparently, the levels dropped by one percent each year from 1987 to 2002.The researchers postulate that a decrease in testosterone levels may be caused by obesity or cigarette smoking. Note (The increase in victims of ovarian cancer may be because of the increase of testosterone in women.) Testosterone is the primary male sex hormone and plays an important role in maintaining bone and muscle mass. Low testosterone levels have been linked to health problems, including lowered libido and diabetes. Over the past two decades, levels of the sex hormone in U.S. men have been falling steadily, a new study finds. According to the FDA (food and drug administration), more than four million men experience low testosterone levels. Around 95% of them fail to seek any treatment, often because they just take the sign as a normal part of getting older.


Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/1276669




Women's tears contain chemical cues - Female weeping dampens sexual arousal in men.
http://www.nature.com/news/2011/110106/full/news.2011.2.html

[Jackpine Radical]

1. Very interesting.

I recently reviewed a bunch of the psychological literature that looked at psychophysiological aspects of criminal behavior. Very interestingly, when crime rates were graphed by age of offender, the resulting frequency curve very closely followed the testosterone decline by age. Rapists showed the same age-testosterone relationship.

Maybe the decline in crime in the last decade is a result of lowered testosterone in young males.

[Sancho]

2. damn..you just made my day (birthday)...

:banghead:

gawd knows i have enough to worry about...wars, global warming, and now low testosterone!!! and you know my health insurance won't cover a penny!!

[bemildred]

3. Stress? nt

[digonswine]

4. Castrati applaud.

[DCBob]

5. we've been "beaten" into submission by aggressive domineering wives and girlfriends.

and loving it!

[daleanime]

6. Hey....

many pay extra for that!:evilgrin:

[laconicsax]

7. Obviously, the cause is spiritual.

:rofl:

[Eric J in MN]

8. More pesticides.

The estrogen-type substances in the pesticides are lowering our testosterone.

[Dover]

9. yep, men and three-legged dual-sexed frogs and fishes.

However it comes about, I wonder what that means long term?

[Tumbulu]

10. Well I was thinking about this all day

I always thought that it was the fungicides used on veggies- the sperm count of organic farmers has not decreased.

But regardless of why, it is happening and I do think that could have an impact on the capacity to create a more complex society.

I wonder if the trend will level off or continue.

[Tumbulu]

11. most of the fungicides have the effect of lowering

levels of testosterone and the chlorinated hydrocarbon insecticides with the long half lives that are still all around us are estrogen mimics.

Rise in estrogen levels, lowering of testosterone.

This has to have an impact on human societies....

Along with all animals that utilize these hormones. I am not sure if it is only mammals.