The MiDOViA Menopause Podcast: Real Talk on Hormones, Work, and Wellness for Midlife

Episode 044: The Hidden Reality of Male Menopause

• April Haberman and Kim Hart • Season 1 • Episode 44

Share episode

Testosterone isn't just a male hormone—it's a vital life force that gradually declines with age, affecting everything from muscle mass to mood. This eye-opening conversation with Lisa Lounsbury, founder of New Day Wellness, explores the reality of male menopause (andropause) and its profound impact on men's health and relationships.

Unlike female menopause, andropause sneaks in gradually, making it easy to mistake hormonal changes for normal aging. "Men might confuse this loss of hormone with regular aging," Lounsbury explains, "but there is a difference, and we need to educate men so we can have cross-lateral empathy as we transition into aging."

The episode unpacks the five key symptoms men should watch for: mood swings, sleep disturbances, loss of muscle mass, decreased libido, and fatigue. When these symptoms compound, they signal more than just getting older—they represent a biological shift that deserves attention. Lounsbury shares her personal experience testing testosterone levels with her husband, revealing how blood work confirmed what lifestyle changes had suggested.

For men navigating these changes, the message is clear—you don't have to suffer or accept decline as inevitable. Through intentional movement, thoughtful nutrition, and open communication, men can maintain vitality well into their later years. As Lounsbury puts it, "There's so much life to live in your 50s, 60s, and 70s," and watching someone who's given up compared to someone thriving reveals the power of these choices.

Perhaps most importantly, the episode highlights how hormonal changes affect relationships when both partners are experiencing their own versions of menopause. The solution? "When we're open with the biology of what's happening with our bodies, we realize it's not a choice—we're not waking up choosing to be miserable," Lounsbury says. This understanding creates space for empathy, vulnerability, and deeper connection.

Whether you're experiencing these changes yourself or supporting someone who is, this conversation offers practical wisdom for turning a challenging transition into an opportunity for greater health and connection. Listen, learn, and discover why curiosity rather than judgment leads to better aging for everyone.

Lisa Lounsbury is a globally respected Resilience and Well-Being Expert,
Certified Lifestyle, Wellness & Menopause Coach, National Mental Health
Trainer, International Speaker and Founder of New Day Wellness Inc., with
over 30 years of experience empowering leaders and teams to make wellness
a non-negotiable. From competing in a triathlon at the 1992 Pre-Olympic
Games to completing a 350-km solo pilgrimage across Spain’s Camino de
Santiago in 2024, Lisa embodies the resilience she teaches. A trusted speaker
and coach to professionals in mining, healthcare, finance, and government,
she helps organizations strengthen their culture, navigate transitions like
menopause and andropause, and lead with compassion through change.
Author of Making Wellness a Priority, host of the Your Wellness podcast, and a
member of the Canadian Association of Professional Speakers, Lisa delivers
more than motivation—she delivers momentum.

Website: newdaywellness.ca

MiDOViA LINKS:

Website: https://www.midovia.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mymidovia
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/midovia
Email Us: info@midovia.com

MiDOViA is dedicated to changing the narrative about menopause by educating, raising awareness & supporting women in this stage of life, both at home and in the workplace. Visit midovia.com to learn more.

The information, including but not limited to,

Speaker 1:

Welcome to the Medovia Menopause Podcast, your trusted source for information about menopause and midlife. Join us each episode, as we have great conversations with great people. Tune in and enjoy the show. Welcome everyone, we're happy you're here on the show. Today we have Lisa Lounsbury, who is a globally respected resilience and well-being expert, certified lifestyle wellness and menopause coach, national mental health trainer, international speaker and founder of New Day Wellness, with over 30 years of experience empowering leaders and teams. We can't wait to have this conversation, lisa. Welcome to the show.

Speaker 2:

It's great to be here. Thank you, you bet.

Speaker 1:

Today we are going to talk about a topic that continues to surface in conversations within our community as well as with our clients male menopause. And we have a lot to cover today, lisa. So I want to dive right in to make sure that all of our questions are answered. When you hear the phrase male menopause, how do you define it for clients at New Day Wellness?

Speaker 2:

I want to preface and start off by saying it's not the same. Male menopause is different than female menopause in the way that it's experienced. It's similar in that it's a decline in our sex hormones. So that's how I would explain it. So we all have sex hormones. The female has the main ones estrogen, progesterone and testosterone and the males have testosterone, and I'm educating men to explain to them that they do have a sex hormone that's going to decline with age and it's not as significant as females, but it is there and it is something for them to take a look at and to appreciate when it comes to the longevity as they age.

Speaker 3:

It's a gradual decline of testosterone, right? That's what I often hear. Is the difference versus the female version of hormone decline?

Speaker 2:

That's right. It's gradual and a little bit more, a little gentler on the body. So the men are going to notice a huge change in behavior. But it's also sneaky because it is gradual and they might confuse this loss of hormone or this decline in hormone with regular aging, and it's important to understand that there is a difference. It's sometimes hard to identify the difference, but there is a difference and we need to educate our men on both sides of the story the menopause and the andropause, which is menopause for men, so we can have cross-lateral empathy as we transition into the aging process.

Speaker 3:

And what are the symptoms of andropause?

Speaker 2:

Well, there's five main symptoms for men and women to look out for. So that's mood swings, which is common on both sides of the spectrum. Mood swings maybe not doesn't have to be very dramatic, but a change in behavior, change in capacity to control your behavior. There's changes in sleep patterns, and these are very similar to women as well. There's loss of muscle mass, a decline in muscle mass. There's changes in libido as well. And then there's a fifth one, and I'm drawing a blank as I say five, but those are the four main ones, and the fifth one will pop into my head in a minute. The main ones are consistent, but also similar to aging. So we have to really notice when we have all of them, when they're all compounded, that's more of a sign of andropause as opposed to one or perhaps two symptoms.

Speaker 1:

How do males differentiate between that regular everyday stress and burnout and andropause? If I'm a man and I'm having trouble sleeping, I've noticed that my muscle mass isn't what it was. Maybe my libido is lower. How do I know that this is andropause versus? I'm just stressed because I'm in midlife.

Speaker 2:

It's really difficult actually and it can boil down to almost a blood test, and I know blood tests aren't always definitive. So I did a little test, a little test on my husband's body. I asked him he's 62. So we had this discussion about andropause and we talked about the symptoms and I've noticed some of those symptoms and he said, well, sure, test on me.

Speaker 2:

So we went and got him some blood work and it was to test the levels of testosterone and, based on his age, where it should be, and it was in a declining state. So it was helpful to know that there is a clinical diagnosis, if you want to call it that. The blood test does reveal a change or a drop in the testosterone. So that just led us to investigate a little bit further, get a little more serious about the symptoms and connecting the dots. For him and he also had access to testosterone replacement therapy with the clinic that we were visiting. So the option is there as well for men.

Speaker 2:

Actually it's easier for men to get testosterone replacement than for females and we could talk about that later. But he was fascinated with the idea that maybe it's not just aging, maybe it is a change in his body's response to his sex hormone and it gave him a little bit of optimism and maybe a little bit of ambition to really focus on reducing this, the, I guess the speed of how it's reducing, like keeping the muscle mass going, making sure he's eating better and really focusing on his sleep and all and checking in with his mood and his libido and those sort of things. So it became a little heightened experience for him after going through that little experiment.

Speaker 1:

A little heightened experience for him after going through that little experiment. It's so interesting to me that even your husband and you, doing the work that you do, didn't think about hormone therapy, right, didn't think that perhaps what's happening to me is hormone related and that's it's very similar to women as well. You know, we don't necessarily correlate the symptoms that we're having with hormones or perimenopause, menopause, for example, but yet here we are right. It's fascinating. And really just a comment here Kim, you look like you had something you wanted to ask.

Speaker 3:

Well, I was just thinking about some of the symptoms that you talk about. What's happening to the male body seems to be how men often identify themselves right as strong, as virile as, and then all of a sudden it's going the other way around. That's just an interesting observation for me that I haven't thought about how hard that must be when that's happening to you If you don't know about it. A lot like menopause. A lot of women don't know about it, but all of a sudden all of those symptoms are happening and you're like what the heck? What's going on?

Speaker 1:

Yeah, and I'm sure the stigma and the shame is that weight is carried as well. Right, if I don't have a strong libido, I'm not strong, I don't feel strong. Right, kim, to your point. I would think that that would carry a lot of stigma and shame as well, and perhaps that's one of the reasons why males are not having conversations with their healthcare providers either.

Speaker 2:

Absolutely and full disclosure. I wasn't really researching male menopause until a year ago. It wasn't even on my radar. I honestly didn't even consider it, because I'm so focused on women's health and managing my own symptoms and women around me of what okay, this is happening to women as we age, what's happening to men as they age, that wasn't even on my radar. I didn't have that consideration. I didn't have the compassion, I really didn't care. To be honest with you, I was dealing with so much of this, you know, but then I started to say you know what? This is a family affair, this is a partnership if you're in a relationship with someone who's aging. So it's only fair to understand not only the aging process but what could be contributing to these symptoms. And when they're all showing up all at once, it does affect a man's ego and who they feel they are as a provider and a man. So you know, I want to have compassion for them as well. So we have this, like I said, cross-lateral consideration of each other's symptoms.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, that's great. What kind of lifestyle patterns do you see that make the symptoms better or worse? I assume it's very similar to menopause and taking care of hormones in your body, but are there some lifestyle things that men can do during this time? Lifestyle?

Speaker 2:

things that men can do during this time. There's always lifestyle habits that can support anything, and this is a great reminder of the impact and the value of healthy lifestyles. So it always comes back to this we have to continue to Eat well, you know. Eat all the good things. We all know we should eat. Exercise well, lift heavy focus on sleep, you know. Have healthy conversations with the people around us, be open to sharing, drink that water I think I already said that and get that sleep, everything.

Speaker 2:

And it linked it back to andropause. And oh, instead of worrying about andropause creeping in, how about we manage it or prepare for it through healthy lifestyle changes and not just start those healthy lifestyles once we hear about andropause, but growing up, knowing, as I'm aging, I'm going to maintain this level of health so that when I hit my 50s and 60s, I don't have to start a whole new program changing my life, you know, turning my world upside down. So it's starting early. So those listeners who are maybe not in their 50s and 60s yet male or female, both genders the sooner we develop these healthy lifestyles, they become consistent and normal, then we're not panicking. Oh my gosh, I got to start. I got to start. If you started 20 years ago, you just continue the ride and maybe you enhance it as you go and make it a little more of a priority. But getting those foundations early is really going to help when those symptoms do start to creep in.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, yeah, those lifestyle changes that we often talk about but that make a huge difference. But it's often the hardest, the hardest. It's hard to change lifestyle because it's not a light switch that you can turn off, and it requires action, it requires consistency and commitment.

Speaker 2:

Absolutely and for, like I said, for everything you know, any, any risk, health risk or emotional risk. This has to be part of your lifestyle. So the sooner you start you know the better you're going to, the more successful you're going to get.

Speaker 3:

Absolutely so. If a man is wondering whether hormones should be part of his picture, what are the smart first steps? What should, how do they, how do they look into this and what should they do?

Speaker 2:

Well, those symptoms that I talked about, you know, the reduction in muscle mass. If you just look around, if you look at a man in his 60s and 70s, you will notice the loss of muscle mass. You'll see the you know, and the posture will change. So you can see it. And then you can tell someone who's actually has a fitness routine of resistance training and growing muscles and eating the proteins. You can see the difference. So when those things start to change, we can notice.

Speaker 2:

Or it's hard for someone to bring it up to someone else like geez, you know you don't look so strong like you do, you know did 10 years ago. But the individual can certainly notice, pay attention to how their body's changing and go okay, this doesn't have to be this way. This doesn't have to be the rest of my life. I don't have to continuously worry about the decline of my strength and my ability to have healthy thoughts and sleeping and all that stuff. So if they can individually tune into their bodies which I know a lot of men don't necessarily do that on a regular basis it's not encouraged, I think, in my experience.

Speaker 2:

So I want the men to really pay attention to their bodies and notice when it starts to change, because if you don't pay attention you're not going to notice it until you know, 10, 20 years pass. The next thing you know you're breaking a hip like we do and you're not. You don't have the balance, you're not sleeping and God forbid you lose libido. So it's up to the man, the male gender, to notice the change and to talk to someone they trust about it, and then maybe even go to a doctor and talk about it, like wouldn't that be something if they had the courage to go in there and say you know what I don't feel like? I think I should feel and have the talk about hormone replacement, or not even hormone, but just the decline, maybe get a blood test, maybe talk about symptoms. So it's hard. I think the individual has to have a self-assessment as they age, to notice and be okay with that, to be honest with themselves, saying you know what I'm not feeling like, I want to and do something about it.

Speaker 3:

It's interesting that you talk about the blood test. You know, because the menopause society for women recommends that you diagnose based on symptoms, because your hormones are all over the place. I imagine that the blood test for men is a little bit more stable because of their hormones declining slowly, that you'd be able to really be able to look at that blood work as a as a sign of what you're experiencing and it's and it's not something that you know. It's going to change over a period of time, like what's happening with women in menopause. So is the blood test the first route to take? Is that generally the recommendation?

Speaker 2:

of the decline and I've seen the numbers when it comes to my husband's blood work. It still starts with the symptoms, I think, because to regain the loss of the muscle mass and the sleep and the libido, it can come from healthy lifestyle. It can come from tweaking your food intake, taking a look at your sugar consumption, your carbs, your alcohol consumptions, how much water, like all of those healthy lifestyles will dramatically support that decline. So I'm not saying and I'm not a doctor, but in my experience I'm not saying you need testosterone replacement therapy to feel better. I think it's an individual decision, like it is for women. I would obviously, in my work as a wellness coach, start with the healthy lifestyle choices first and implement those. If it's super dramatic, like a men's libido dropping off the map, there's other things that can be done for that. So fortunately, men have other options when it comes to that and it doesn't necessarily mean going on testosterone. So it's an individual journey and I think they should take a look at their lifestyle first.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, and I want to bring it back to and just make note that it's not just about libido. I mean, it's important and that is one important piece of what we're talking about here in this conversation. But yet it's energy levels. It can be fatigue, it can be. It comes back to the irritability that you talked about before and just not feeling yourself, that low mood, the low energy, those are all real and it can make life really difficult to even just function on a daily basis. And you mentioned earlier relationships, and I imagine that it is challenging in relationships when you have maybe even both a male and a female partnership where one's going through menopause, the other one's going through andropause at the same time. That can make it really difficult. So how, if that's happening, how can partners support one another through this time period?

Speaker 2:

I thought of the fifth symptom. The fifth symptom is fatigue.

Speaker 1:

I knew it would pop up in my head, so that's the fifth one is fatigue F for five.

Speaker 2:

So educate, that's why you are doing such a great job. That's why I'm advocating for longevity and aging and women's health, because it leaks into men's health and it leaks into relationships, healthy relationships and, knowing what I know now, my relationship with my partner. We've been together over 30 years, my with my husband. We've grown into this more of an empathetic partnership, which is quite extraordinary because we're empty nesters now and it's just the two of us. So we have time to really dig deep into what's happening with our brains, with our thoughts or emotions, and really trust each other. That we can be this vulnerable and I'm happy that my husband is finally at the point where he can share those vulnerabilities with me and say you know, I don't feel as strong as I used to, or I've noticed you're more irritable. I don't feel as strong as I used to, or I've noticed you're more irritable.

Speaker 2:

How can I help you? So we're at the stage where we're. How can we help each other, instead of saying why are you always so miserable and why do you always do that and those things, there's just more empathy both ways. And this is just my experience, but I do believe. When we're open with the biology of what's actually happening with our body, we realize it's not a choice. We're not waking up, choosing to be miserable.

Speaker 3:

Something's changing in our bodies and when we understand how the male and female bodies work as we age, there's just more compassion. Yeah, that's a really sweet, sweet way of talking about it, because there's lots of choices, what happens after empty nest, right, and so if you choose to understand each other at a deeper level, I think that's a really sweet story. So if you were advising a man at this age in his life of you know what to do, what are what is like three actionable things that a man can do to sort of understand what's going on and what they can do to feel better?

Speaker 2:

Well, the first one is acknowledging that it's something's changing and not accepting that this is their fate. This is all my dad, this happened to my dad, so I guess I'm just I'm just going to start to, you know shrivel up and lose my strength and my, my, my energy and all that. It doesn't have to be that way, so that doesn't have to be their fate. So I think men need to be empowered to notice if their bodies are changing, or when their bodies are changing, because it's going to change and we notice it and want to do something about it, not just saying well, you know, I'm old, there's so much life to live in your 50s and 60s and 70s and there's a lot of life to live and if you watch someone age who has given up, it's really sad to watch someone give up when you've watched someone who hasn't given up and all the things they're still achieving.

Speaker 2:

So I do a lot of hiking. I've hiked, you know, utah was one of my favorite hikes and just finishing a hike through Spain myself and I met folks in their 70s and 80s that are living life with vitality. They're hiking these extraordinary trails because they can, they haven't given up, and some of these folks I talked to weren't always healthy and fit. They have understood that it's never too late, and so you can look at a 75-year-old who has given up or an 80-year-old who's given up versus a 75 or 80-year-old who hasn't given up, like I have a choice here to make and I want to be that person who still wants to travel and see the world and enjoy their family and all the things that they're still left to enjoy. So I went on a tangent. So that's the first thing I want men to do is acknowledge and not just give up and know that this is not their fate. And then two is they need to keep moving their bodies with purpose, daily, or at least consistently. And again, as we age we start to get new pains and things stiffen up and all that stuff.

Speaker 2:

But I'm a yoga teacher and you are too, ladies. We need to keep moving our bodies and I teach yoga to 60, 70, or 80-year-olds who might have just started doing yoga for the first time, but noticing immediately the impact it's having. So men need to realize you don't have to go to the gym and be that boot camp person or do CrossFit. You don't have to do those extreme sports, because that's when you get hurt. That's what my husband did. He thought he could do CrossFit and do it like a 20-year-old. Next thing you know, he's got a back injury. So moving their body, but being responsible and caring for their body, so acknowledging that they're aging, moving their body and back to food. Back to food, eating good, healthy proteins, bringing in those plants and drinking that water and reducing the alcohol, like those are things they all know they need to do, but that when you put those trifectas together, magic happens. Magic happens, and it's science, it's biology.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, great, yeah, and you don't have to suffer. I heard that several times as you were giving that recap that you don't you don't have to suffer. I heard that several times as you were giving that recap that you don't have to suffer. When you make the choice, there are things that you can do to feel better. Notice, be aware we talk about that often with our clients.

Speaker 1:

Be aware of what's happening to your body. Take the time to notice, right, track your symptoms, write it down and be aware of what makes them more intense. What are your habits that are really increasing those symptoms? And then move your body right. Move, get up off the couch. I was just having this conversation with my 22-year-old night and her fiance making them do the. How many times can you get up and down from the couch? Just up and down, up and down, up and down. Right, balance on one foot. Those things go away as we age, but we have to keep moving our body right. And then food you know it oftentimes comes back nutrition, what we're putting in our bodies and how are we fueling. It's really important.

Speaker 2:

I often use the term eat like your life depends on it because it does so every choice you're making. Is this going to help or hinder my body as you're eating it? Is this piece, is this chicken leg worthy of my health? And you might tell yourself yes, you might tell yourself no, but eat like your life depends on it is kind of a concept I like to instill.

Speaker 3:

I love that. So before we went on air I was talking about, I just celebrated my dad's 80th birthday and my dad walks every day like miles a day as part of his exercise or his life routine and he's going to outlaw us all like he's healthy as a horse and uh. So I've had really good examples of how to take care of yourself. But you know I he is compared to other 80 year olds. He is, you know, able to do all the things that he wants to do because he's kept on moving and I love that.

Speaker 1:

All the things that he wants to do because he's kept on moving, and I love that. Yeah, it's a reminder to go for our walks today too. Yes, exactly we need to move our bodies as well.

Speaker 2:

And I like what Kim said. But Kim said something really impactful. Yeah, when you consider it exercise, when you call it exercise, it sounds hard, it sounds very difficult to do, but when it's just part of your life, it's so much easier. So your father's walking. He's not going out to exercise, he's just walking because that's just part of his lifestyle and it becomes just part of his day and I want people to figure out how to do that so it doesn't feel like you have to exercise. It's a bad word for some people and just moving your body in a way that's just part of your day is more sustainable.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, and it's a good longevity plan. His 80th birthday was last week and I watched him play football on the beach with my you know, last week. And I watched him play football on the beach with my you know eight-year-old nephew and he was, you know, on it and so great and I'm like that is what I want. You know, I want to be able to do that with my grandkids.

Speaker 1:

So get to the gym, go for the walks it's just a pickleball. Get your standup paddleboard out, go hiking. How many great things to do. Lisa, this is a great conversation. I'm so glad that we had you on today. Male menopause is really not recognized often. It's misunderstood for all of the males in our life that we love so much and so dearly to go seek help if they need it. Change those lifestyle habits. You don't have to suffer, you don't have to feel bad. There are solutions and I really appreciate you bringing awareness to this topic.

Speaker 2:

How can people find you? I'm everywhere On Instagram. I am the wellness lady. You can find me on the wellness lady channel. I love that called a channel. Linkedin, lisa Lounsbury. I'm on LinkedIn regularly. I have a YouTube channel. So if you just type Lisa Lounsbury, you might, you should find me. Hopefully you might find some other Lisa Lounsbury. You should find me. Hopefully you might find some other Lisa Lounsburys. But I'm there. New Day Wellness is my company. Where else am I? Twitter or X Lisa.

Speaker 1:

You're everywhere.

Speaker 2:

You can find me anywhere and I have lots of videos. I'm sharing a lot of videos so people can just get a sense of hope coming from my perspective and offering it to those who want to hear it, because I'm honored to have all these platforms to be able to share what I've learned over the years and talking to experts like yourself, and I transfer that knowledge on to those who want to hear it. And I transfer that knowledge on to those who want to hear it. So I have a book as well that's really helping folks to create a sustainable lifestyle. Making wellness a priority has been an effective methodology for folks to stop making excuses and start and stop stopping kind of thing, that consistency. So that's been very helpful as well. And where can they find the book? Oh, they can find it on Amazon, amazoncom, amazonca all the different Amazons in the UK and around the world and you could also find it on my website, newdaywellnessca.

Speaker 1:

Okay, perfect, and it's Lisa Lounsbury, l-o-u-n-s-b-u-r-y. That's right, just for listeners if you're Googling. Okay, before we let you go, lisa, the last question that we ask all of our guests is what the best piece of advice you've ever received or given has been.

Speaker 2:

I've received so much good advice over the years, but when you asked me this question, initially I panicked and then I'm like I'm just going to share the first thing that popped in my head, and that is a quote that I'm sharing with others, and it's from Ted Lasso, which has become my favorite TV show. He's become a mentor indirectly to me as a leader, and one of his quotes is be curious, not judgmental. Ask more questions, because we are very judgmental as a society and I feel we can be more compassionate and more empathy if we lead with curiosity. First, make your judgment later, make that later in the conversation, but show up with curiosity. That's great, that's a good one.

Speaker 3:

That show is pretty. I mean the writing and the intention of that show is. There's a lot of inspiration there, but I love that you brought that up.

Speaker 1:

Thanks for asking, of course, love that you brought that up. Thanks for asking, of course. Well, lisa. Thank you once again. Listeners, until we meet again, go find joy in the journey, take care. Thank you for listening to the Medovia menopause podcast. If you enjoyed today's show, please give it a thumbs up. Subscribe for future episodes, leave a review and share this episode with a friend. Medovia is out to change the narrative. Learn more at medoviacom. That's M-I-D-O-V-I-A dot com.

People on this episode

Head Shot

April Haberman

Co-host
Head Shot

Kim Hart

Co-host