WARRIOR WOMEN

For the men in menopause

- Ian Kirke

I have had many Forrest Gump moments in my life. The mantra, ‘Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re gonna get’, continues to feature prominently in my life. On the other hand, my 27-year old son Adam has pretty much mapped his life out with his retirement planned in his forties, whilst the old man sort of makes it up as he goes along. In my chaotic life, chance very often comes along, and like a moth is drawn to bright light I more often than not go for it. So, when a message appeared in my Messenger inbox from a female friend I initially, and perhaps unusually, discarded the challenge: You should write about menopause! On reflection, my initial trepidation was framed around the very obvious notion that I could not write about the subject since as a man I could never experience it. If you are a male reader and this claim has made you drop your pipe, dumbbells, copy of FHM or any other small item you happen to be holding, because you know something about the male equivalent, let me immediately correct you because this is, in my opinion, bullshit. Men do not suffer from a comparable condition. Andropause, more common in us older farts, connects with declining testosterone levels and can lead to, amongst other things, irritability, weight gain, and low sex drive.