Male menopause, known as andropause, is a condition that affects men 40 years old and older.

According to George Gonnella, a doctor of internal medicine at the Kishwaukee Community Hospital, the condition is similar to female menopause. Some symptoms of andropause include fatigue, depression, impotence and weight loss.

Other symptoms include bad mood, memory loss and low self-esteem, Abraham Kryger, preventive medicine specialist and author of the book “Listen to Your Hormones: A Doctor’s Guide to Sex, Love, and Long Life,” refers to these symptoms as irritable male syndrome.

There are men who don’t even know andropause exists.

“I didn’t know there was one,” said Matteson resident Vern Hageman, 84.

“Not sure there is a male menopause. I’ve never heard of it,” said Steger resident Gene Wieringa, 72.

A new medicine known as Andriol offers a cure to these symptoms, but is unavailable in the U.S. “The U.S. uses testosterone supplements, not Andriol,” Gonnella said.

According to Kryger, Andriol is a testosterone supplement available in Canada. “It doesn’t cure andropause, it’s only a supplement for the testosterone loss.”

Older men who are experiencing this condition often don’t seek help.

“Men are shy and don’t admit they have it,” Gonnella said. Some of the symptoms of andropause are similar to those of the general aging process. “Men attribute [andropause] to getting old.”

Some don’t see the necessity of Andriol, but recognize its usefulness. “Having not had a problem, I don’t see a need for the drug,” said Matteson resident Frank Denman, 64.

According to Kryger, men usually aren’t the ones who realize they have the condition. “Men who have the disease don’t know what the problem is. Women usually pick it up,” he said.

Gonnella, however, said the lack of testosterone could come from other conditions. “Men could have low testosterone levels for other reasons, such as the mumps,” he said. However, mumps is not a common condition, he added.