Hello Spacehog371,
It seems that men may have cycles, as do most living things. However,
men?s cycles are more subtle and less disruptive. I found no
substantial research that proves men have cycles,especially for 4
days, but I found quite a bit of theoretical and anecdotal information
that some men do indeed have ?cycles?. The jury is still out!
?MEN HAVE CYCLES, TOO
Although little research has been done on the topic, men have monthly
cycles, too. As far back as the seventeenth century, the Italian
scientist Sanctorius weighed men daily over long periods of time and
discovered that men underwent a monthly weight change of about one or
two pounds. More recently, a Danish endocrinologist kept daily records
of hormones excreted in his urine. When analyzed, those records showed
that his hormones rose and fell in roughly a thirty-day rhythm.
Interestingly, beard growth also shows a rhythm of approximately
thirty days; in other words, the amount of beard a man grows daily
increases and decreases in a monthly cycle.
In 1929, a researcher carefully followed the moods of seventeen men
and showed that men, like women, have emotional cycles of about a
month to six weeks in length. According to the researcher's findings,
men tend to be more apathetic and indifferent during the low period of
their emotional cycles and more likely to magnify small problems into
big ones. During the high period of their cycles, men have more
energy, a greater sense of well-being, lower body weight, and less
need for sleep.
In the early 1970s, Ms. magazine reported that a Japanese bus and taxi
company used this knowledge of male monthly cycles to reduce accidents
involving its vehicles. After charting the cycles of each of its
drivers, the company rearranged routes and schedules to best match the
men's low and high periods. The result: After two years, the company
experienced a one-third drop in its accident rate.?
?SHORTER MALE CYCLES
In addition to its monthly rhythm, beard growth has a second ? and
weaker weekly rhythm in men. Beards tend to grow the most on Sunday
and the least on Wednesday although the difference is not great enough
for most men to notice. Because beard growth seems to be triggered by
testosterone levels (which rise during sexual activity), this weekly
increase and decrease in beard growth may be the result of increased
sexual activity on the weekend.
One of the most perplexing and shorter male cycles involves the rise
and fall in sperm count. A man's total sperm count peaks every two to
five days; for most men, the peak comes every three or four days
(which is also, by the way, the same rhythm exhibited by male
rabbits). What causes the sperm count to rise and fall in such a
rhythm or how it affects sexuality is still being explored.?
http://www.trosch.org/ide/sex-cycl.htm
Some scientists think female hormones affect men, causing a male
monthly syndrome, through pheromones. This site has the most logical
explanation I?ve found! I?m unable to post more due to copyright
restrictions. Please read the entire site.
?Do men have periods? Obviously not, considering they lack a uterus
and the other pipes necessary for that monthly female event. But ask
any woman if her male partner has monthly PMS and you'll get an
emphatic yes. These women even have the days marked on the calendar
when their hubbies start the classic bloating, sensitivity, cravings
for strange food, and overall bitchy behavior.?
?Now, ask a man if he has PMS and he'll most likely look at you as if
you've been watching too much Oprah. But occasionally a few rare men
will fess up and admit that during a certain time each month -- and
for no good reason -- they feel out of sorts?maybe even a little blue
or sensitive. Some even report to having changes in their facial hair
or sensitivity to smells.
Maybe men do have PMS, which I like to call MMS (Monthly Male
Syndrome). Or maybe these men are just trying to arm-wrestle their way
into women's five-day license for a bad attitude, but it's doubtful --
I mean, when have you ever heard a man admit to sensitivity??
?So, a change in testosterone at one point in the month could create a
ripple effect, meaning either more estrogen or less testosterone
later, which might explain why men at times are found weeping during a
Hallmark commercial while downing a box of Chocodiles. "It's a given
that hormones affect mood and that low testosterone makes for grumpy
old men," says Mangum. Hormones are cyclical, so whatever imbalance
exists tends to repeat itself -- even a regular monthly hormone change
in some men. Lunar or lunacy?
http://www.catalystmagazine.net/issues/story.cfm?story=604
?For some centuries, at least, inquisitive observers here and there
have thought they found reason to believe that men, as well as women,
present various signs of a menstrual physiological cycle. It would be
possible to collect a number of opinions in favor of such a monthly
physiological periodicity in men. Precise evidence, however, is, for
the most part, lacking. Men have expended infinite ingenuity in
establishing the remote rhythms of the solar system and the
periodicity of comets. They have disdained to trouble about the
simpler task of proving or disproving the cycles of their own
organisms.[117]
It is over half a century since Laycock wrote that "the scientific
observation and treatment of disease are impossible without a
knowledge of the mysterious revolutions continually taking place in
the system"; yet the task of summarizing the whole of our knowledge
regarding these "mysterious revolutions" is even to-day no heavy one.
As to the existence of a monthly cycle in the sexual instincts of men,
with a single exception, I am not aware that any attempt has been made
to bring forward definite evidence.[118] A certain interest and
novelty attaches, therefore, to the evidence I am able to produce,
although that evidence will not suffice to settle the question
finally.?
?It seems, however, when we look at these curves more closely, that
they are not wholly without significance. If I am justified in
concluding that they scarcely demonstrate a monthly cycle, it may
certainly be added that they show a rudimentary tendency for the
ecboles to fall into a fortnightly rhythm, and a very marked and
unmistakable tendency to a weekly rhythm. The fortnightly rhythm is
shown in the curve for the earlier period, but is somewhat disguised
in the curve for the total period, because the first climax is spread
over two days, the 7th and 8th of the month. If we readjust the curve
for the total period by presenting the days in pairs, the fortnightly
tendency is more clearly brought out?
http://www.psyplexus.com/ellis/5d.htm
?Hormonal changes in men are less obvious than in women because men do
not have a monthly cycle. However, in men, hormones (testosterone and
breakdown products) also influence brain function and may have an
impact on seizures. More research is needed on hormones, seizures and
sexual function in men with epilepsy -- as it is needed in women with
epilepsy.?
http://www.efa.org/answerplace/Life/adults/women/weihormones.cfm
Andropause
==========
In older men, a condition called ?andropause? is known as the male menopause.
http://www.andropause.com/
?By the time men are between the ages of 40 and 55, they can
experience a phenomenon similar to the female menopause, called
andropause. Unlike women, men do not have a clear-cut signpost such as
the cessation of menstruation to mark this transition. Both, however,
are distinguished by a drop in hormone levels. Estrogen in the female,
testosterone in the male. The bodily changes occur very gradually in
men and may be accompanied by changes in attitudes and moods, fatigue,
a loss of energy, sex drive and physical agility.
What's more, studies show that this decline in testosterone can
actually put one at risk for other health problems like heart disease
and weak bones. Since all this happens at a time of life when many men
begin to question their values, accomplishments and direction in life,
it's often difficult to realise that the changes occurring are related
to more than just external conditions.?
?Although with age, a decline in testosterone levels will occur in
virtually all men, there is no way of predicting who will experience
andropausal symptoms of sufficient severity to seek medical help.
Neither is it predictable at what age symptoms will occur in a
particular individual. Each man's symptoms may be also different.?
http://www.andropause.com/about_andropause/whatis.asp
?The male menopause or Andropause, is due to hypogonadism- low
testosterone levels. Andropause, the word, appeared in the literature
in 1952 and is defined at the "natural cessation of the sexual
function in older men." Andropause also refers to sexual regression in
men over 40 due to dropping male hormone levels.
Endocrinologically, the difference between the hypogonadal man and the
post-menopausal hypogonadal woman is not very great. Neither has
adequate levels of androgens or estrogens and they both can be
expected to show similar tendencies; i.e., hypogonadal men also tend
to have frequent MI's and bone fractures from osteoporosis. There is
current evidence of a protective effect of testosterone against both
heart attacks and bone fractures.?
?Unfortunately, in men, impotence tends to be accompanied in most not
by frustrated sexual urges or complaints of frustration but rather by
"passivity" according to Dr. Conrad Swartz. More than half of the
healthy men over age 70 whom he surveyed showed morning serum
testosterone levels at or below 300 ng/dl, the customary threshold of
hypogonadism. (Ref.1). At this level men do not have erections in
their sleep nor in the early mornings. Passivity in men soon leads to
lack of interest in business, sex, sports or visual sexual
stimulation.?
http://www.wellnessmd.com/andropause.html
?Apart from erectile dysfunction, mood changes can take place too.
Some patients of mine have complained of nervousness, irritability and
even depression. Other patients undergoing andropausal changes report
the feelings of wanting to be closer to family and friends. Men often
focus too intently on their career, money and power in their earlier
life, often neglecting family and friends. In the andropausal years,
men and take on a more "maternal" role, as if transitioning to become
more motherly than fatherly. They become more concerned about their
friends and family, as if regretting their former attitudes. It is
interesting that many patients do not sense these changes in
themselves, but rather it is women that notice this and tells me that
he is undergoing "the menopause"!?
http://seniorhealth.about.com/library/usercontent/uc040801a.htm
Men can affect women?s cycles!
?Ever since the Greek poet, Simonides, wrote in 400 BC that "one day
she is all smiles and gladness?but the next she is dangerous to look
at or approach", blokes have painted themselves as the innocent
victims of premenstrual syndrome.
But preliminary research showing PMS is worse for women who are in a
relationship with a man than for those in a same-sex relationship
provides a clue that men may be the missing link in their partner's
distress.
Professor of women's health psychology, Jane Ussher, is investigating
how men experience and respond to premenstrual syndrome as part of a
wider study into women's experiences of PMS.
"We're looking at how does a partner's reaction to a woman's
premenstrual stress impact on her, how much do relationship issues
actually cause or make worse a woman's premenstrual distress," says
Ussher, who's the director of gender, culture and health research at
the University of Western Sydney.
Ussher, a 20-year veteran of PMS research, says men need to be better
equipped to respond to a partner's symptoms and appreciate the role
they can play in magnifying or mitigating the pain.?
http://abc.net.au/health/features/pms/default.htm
Irritable Men?s Syndrome
=======================
?Stressed out? Grumpy? Moody? If you're a guy and these words describe
your mental state, you may be suffering from what psychotherapist Jed
Diamond calls "irritable male syndrome" in his book of the same name.
Yes, ladies, even men can fall victim to hormone fluctuations. We
discussed IMS and its effects on men when Diamond joined us on Nov.
10, 2004.?
?Again, there is the assumption that women are hormonal but men are
moved more by logic. But the truth is men are as hormonally driven as
women. In fact, men have a number of hormonal cycles:
1) Men's testosterone, for instance, varies and goes up and down four
or five times an hour.
2) There are daily cycles with testosterone being higher in the
morning and lower at night.
3) Men have a monthly hormonal cycle that is unique to each man, but
men can actually track their moods and recognize they are related to
hormonal changes through the month.
4) We know that there are seasonal cycles with testosterone higher in
November and lower in April.
5) We know about hormonal cycles with males during adolescence, but
also the years between 40 and 55 have what we call male menopause or
andropause.
6) Finally, we know there are hormonal changes in men going through
IMS, related to stress in a man's life.?
http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=53725
?"Men's hormones pulsate hourly, compared with every 28 days for
women, " confirms Larrian Gillespie, MD, a retired Southern California
urologist and author of The Gladiator Diet: How to Preserve Peak
Health, Sexual Energy, and A Strong Body at Any Age.?
?IMS symptoms include: exhaustion, unexplained weight changes,
frequent urination, gallbladder or gut problems, hypoglycemia,
snoring, incontinence, an elevated PSA, high cholesterol, bone loss,
hair loss (besides male pattern), impaired thyroid function, loss of
muscle or stamina, skin problems, softer erections -- and
irritability. "Many of these men are overweight," Gillespie notes, and
fat harbors estrogen.
http://www.deanesmay.com/archives/005912.html ?
?What is Irritable Male Syndrome?
One of the most consistent responses I get from men and women was how
much irritability, anger and sullen withdrawal was present in men
between the ages of 40 and 60. I believe these men -- and millions of
others -- are experiencing Irritable Male Syndrome (IMS).
http://www.menalive.com/ims-splash.htm
http://www.menalive.com/ims-splash.htm
?Volunteers wore underarm sterile pads which were collected every
other day from four apparently fertile women, and 3 men, for 14
consecutive weeks. We then extracted the sweat from the women?s pads
and created ten different formula samples (i.e. a Day 1 sweat essence
on the first day of the cycle pooled from the 4 women, a Day 3 sample,
a Day 5 and so on). From men who do not have a monthly hormone cycle,
we pooled all the extracted sweat into one large sample. Later we
filtered the 10 separate samples from women and one sample from men to
remove the odor and bacteria, leaving only odorless test substances,
called either female or male ?essences?. These ?essences? consisted of
over 100 chemical compounds.?
http://www.athenainstitute.com/sciencelinks/encyclop.html
I hope this has helped you! If any part of my answer is unclear,
please make use of the Answer Clarification process. I will be happy
to assist you further, before you rate this answer.
Sincerely, Crabcakes
Search Terms
=============
Men?s cycles
Men?s monthly syndrome
Andropause
Irritabel Mens Syndrome |
