Study says testosterone therapy safe to treat 'male menopause'

Hot flushes and night sweats are not the preserve of women undergoing menopause but aging men too, says a controversial study from researchers at the Centre for Men's Health in London.

About 20 per cent of men over 50 have testosterone deficiency and experience hot flushes, night sweats, joint pain, low libido, depression and an increase in body fat, among other symptoms, says the study.

The centre gave testosterone to more than 2,000 men over a period of 26 years, reports The Daily Telegraph.

Professor Malcolm Carruthers, the centre's chief medical officer, said the study proves the effectiveness and safety of testosterone treatment, even over prolonged periods.

However, not all agree. Some medical experts even dubbed the study dangerous for calling on more men to receive testosterone.

A large blinded, randomised clinical trial is required to prove the efficacy and safety of hormone treatment in men, they say.

Many believe the symptoms are brought on by stress in mid-life crisis, rather than by physiological change.

Male menopause is still a contested condition with many researchers preferring to refer to it as testosterone decline that comes with aging.

Unlike menopause in women when hormone production stops totally, testosterone decline in men is a slower process.

Though testosterone replacement therapy may help relieve symptoms like depression and loss of interest in sex, it comes with potential risks and side effects. It could worsen prostate cancer, notes WebMD.