Manopause: The Male Affliction That Dare Not Speak Its Name

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Men talking through their struggles. Image by Nappy via Pexels

Do we blame Hollywood?

I pose this question because I believe that Hollywood has had us all fooled for the very longest time.

The notion that every man over forty has a head full of hair, high cheekbones, replete with bulging muscles and a perfect six pack, who also happens to be a multi millionaire and can drink recklessly without any consequences has too much of a hold on far too many of us.

Or do we blame society?

Society has allowed the notion of an “alpha male” to run for so long that nearly every bloke supposed to act, talk and behave in a certain way.

And it must be said that too many of us blokes have done so little to counter these stupid expectations that is often foisted upon us by patriarchy.

So what am I talking about?

Manopause.

For those who have never heard of the term, I have taken the liberty of copying and pasting the National Health Service’s guide to the term:

Some men develop depression, loss of sex drive, erectile dysfunction, and other physical and emotional symptoms when they reach their late 40s to early 50s.

Other symptoms common in men this age are:

mood swings and irritability

loss of muscle mass and reduced ability to exercise

fat redistribution, such as developing a large belly or “man boobs” (gynaecomastia)

a general lack of enthusiasm or energy

difficulty sleeping (insomnia) or increased tiredness

poor concentration and short-term memory

These symptoms can interfere with everyday life and happiness, so it’s important to find the underlying cause and work out what can be done to resolve it.

My take on Manopause is that there are far too many men suffering from this affliction today: certainly far more than we realize and appreciate.

Contrary to the nonsense you may have read from some female writers in this space or elsewhere, these men are badly beaten up by the vagaries of life to desire or want to have…