Andropause Treatment in Dubai
Andropause treatment is simple with Dr Felix's personal care. There is no testosterone on the first visit, no decision from a single afternoon blood test, and no treatment until the real cause of your symptoms is found.
Your first visit looks at sleep, weight, mood, medicines and hormones together. Testosterone is prescribed only when two morning blood tests confirm a true deficiency.
The cause comes first
Andropause symptoms are more often caused by sleep, weight, mood or medicines than by testosterone. Dr Felix checks these before any hormone is discussed.
Two morning tests, not one
Testosterone is measured fasting in the early morning on two separate days, because a single reading often misleads.
Your doctor at every visit
This is a personal practice. Dr Felix Happich, German-trained and licensed by the Dubai Health Authority, sees you at every appointment.
Straight answers before you book
What does andropause treatment with Dr Felix include?
Andropause treatment with Dr Felix includes 5 checks, and testosterone is only one possible result of them. Male menopause, the everyday name for andropause, is treated by finding the cause of the symptoms before choosing the treatment.
- Symptom review: desire, erections, energy, mood, sleep and body hair, compared with how you felt a few years ago.
- Morning blood tests: total testosterone measured fasting in the early morning on at least two separate days.
- Free testosterone: measured when excess weight or age change sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG), the protein that carries testosterone in the blood.
- LH and FSH: luteinising hormone and follicle-stimulating hormone, the pituitary signals to the testes, show where a deficiency starts.
- Look-alike causes: sleep apnoea, thyroid disease, iron deficiency, low mood, alcohol and medicines such as opioids.
Does andropause always need testosterone?
No, andropause rarely needs testosterone, because a true testosterone deficiency is uncommon in older men. In the Testosterone Trials, only about 1.5 in 100 men over 65 who were screened had symptoms and testosterone low enough to qualify for treatment.
Excess weight lowers testosterone more often than age does. In the European Male Ageing Study, men with obesity had lower total and free testosterone than men of normal weight of the same age, and men with chronic illness had lower levels as well. A man with excess weight and a low reading therefore starts with the weight: belly fat treatment for men and TRT for weight loss explain that plan.
Which andropause symptoms improve with testosterone?
Sexual desire, sexual activity and mood improve with testosterone in older men with a confirmed deficiency, while energy and memory do not. The Testosterone Trials tested one year of testosterone gel in 790 men over 65 whose testosterone was below 275 ng/dL on two mornings (New England Journal of Medicine, 2016).
Sexual desire and activity improved moderately, and erections improved less. Mood and depressive symptoms were better than on placebo. Energy and memory showed no difference in the trials built to test them. Benefit is more likely the lower the testosterone, especially below 200 ng/dL, about 7 nmol/L.
Testosterone also carries risks in older men. In the TRAVERSE trial of 5,246 men aged 45 to 80, testosterone did not raise heart attacks or strokes, but atrial fibrillation and pulmonary embolism were more common (New England Journal of Medicine, 2023).
Which treatment fits which cause of andropause?
The treatment of andropause follows the cause that the tests find. Testosterone is the treatment for a confirmed deficiency only.
- Confirmed low testosterone: testosterone gel, testosterone injections or a long-acting testosterone injection, with fixed checks of haematocrit and PSA (prostate-specific antigen).
- Excess weight: a medical weight loss plan, because excess weight lowers testosterone.
- Sleep apnoea: a sleep study and treatment of the breathing pauses at night.
- Low mood: treatment of the depression itself.
- Thyroid disease or iron deficiency: treatment of the deficiency.
- Medicines: a review of opioids, high-dose steroids and other medicines that lower testosterone.
Is testosterone approved for andropause?
No, testosterone is not approved for a level that is low only because of age. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approves testosterone for hypogonadism caused by a known disease of the testes or the pituitary gland, and it kept this limit after the TRAVERSE trial. Clinical guidance considers testosterone in an older man only with symptoms and a testosterone below normal on at least two early mornings, preferably below 200 ng/dL.
In the UAE, testosterone is a prescription medicine dispensed by licensed pharmacies and listed among the restricted medicines. The Ministry of Health and Prevention stated in 2018 that these hormones are prescribed only by the treating physician and only for a clear medical reason.
Men over 50 who start testosterone have the prostate, blood count and heart checked on a fixed schedule: TRT for men over 50. Men who want children read TRT and fertility first, because testosterone lowers sperm production.
Dr Felix Happich, MD finds the cause first. Testosterone is prescribed only for a confirmed deficiency.
Why see a doctor for andropause?
Dr Felix Happich is a German-trained physician licensed by the Dubai Health Authority. He sees every patient himself, looks for the cause of andropause symptoms first and prescribes testosterone only when two morning results confirm a deficiency.
Dr Felix treats within the scope of his Dubai Health Authority licence. When a case needs a specialist view, for example a wish for children, an abnormal prostate finding, a possible pituitary cause or a high red blood cell count, the treatment decision is made together with an endocrinologist, urologist or fertility specialist.
What andropause is: andropause. The look-alike causes: male hormonal fatigue. How the diagnosis is made: low testosterone. A first check at home: the low testosterone self-check. All options for men: Men’s Health & TRT Clinic Dubai.
Your first consultation with Dr Felix
Symptoms and history
Desire, erections, energy, mood, sleep, alcohol, weight changes and your current medicines.
Examination
Blood pressure, weight and waist, body hair, breast tissue, testis size and a check for sleep apnoea signs.
Morning blood tests
Testosterone on two mornings, free testosterone when needed, LH, FSH, thyroid, blood count, ferritin and blood sugar.
Decision and plan
Dr Felix explains what causes your symptoms, which treatment fits and whether testosterone has a place in the plan.
More questions about andropause treatment
What does andropause treatment cost in Dubai?
The cost of andropause treatment in Dubai depends on the blood tests you need and on the treatment that fits the cause. You get the full cost in the consultation before anything starts.
Is male menopause the same as andropause?
Yes, male menopause and andropause are two names for the slow fall in testosterone with age. Unlike the menopause in women, andropause has no defined point: total testosterone falls by about 0.4 percent per year, and many men stay in the normal range into old age.
Can andropause be treated without testosterone?
Yes, most men with andropause symptoms are treated without testosterone, because sleep, excess weight, low mood or medicines cause the symptoms more often than a true deficiency. Treating that cause is the first step.
How is andropause diagnosed?
Andropause is diagnosed from symptoms together with a total testosterone below normal on at least two fasting early-morning blood samples. Free testosterone, LH and FSH follow when the result is low.
Andropause symptoms, the cause found first
One consultation with Dr Felix in Dubai Healthcare City. You leave knowing what causes your symptoms and whether testosterone has a place in the plan.
Book your consultationSources
- Effects of Testosterone Treatment in Older Men (Testosterone Trials), New England Journal of Medicine 2016, PubMed abstract. 790 men aged 65 and older
- Cardiovascular Safety of Testosterone-Replacement Therapy (TRAVERSE), New England Journal of Medicine 2023, PubMed abstract. Men aged 45 to 80 with heart disease or heart risk
- Identification of late-onset hypogonadism in middle-aged and elderly men (European Male Ageing Study), New England Journal of Medicine 2010, PubMed abstract. Men aged 40 to 79
- Testosterone Therapy in Men With Hypogonadism: An Endocrine Society Clinical Practice Guideline, Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism 2018, PubMed abstract. Diagnosis, treatment and monitoring
- List of restricted medication in the UAE, UAE Embassy Stockholm. Testosterone products among controlled medicines
- Steroids can only be prescribed by physicians: Ministry of Health, Gulf News 2018. Ministry of Health and Prevention statement