A British influencer is trying to raise awareness of “male menopause” after he was diagnosed with the condition shortly after turning 40.
Israel Cassol told the Daily Mail on Friday that he began suffering from erectile dysfunction and a severe decrease in his libido after marking the milestone birthday back in July.
“I couldn’t believe how little interest I had in being intimate and affectionate with my husband, it was not like me at all, usually I am a morning noon and night type!” Cassol confessed.
The part-time TV presenter — who boasts more than half a million Instagram followers — also experienced “difficulty sleeping, increased tiredness, and a general lack of energy and enthusiasm for things he previously enjoyed.”
He was left stunned when a doctor diagnosed him with andropause — commonly coined “male menopause.”
Cassol turned 40 in July, and erectile dysfunction and a loss of libido soon followed. Israel Cassol Instagram“I couldn’t believe what I was hearing, I thought the menopause was something only women went through, I never knew it could affect men just as much,” Cassol explained.
Mayo Clinic describes andropause as “aging-related hormone changes in men.” The health care organization claims that “a man’s testosterone levels decline on average about 1% a year after age 40,” causing symptoms similar to the ones experienced by Cassol.
The influencer decided to take to Instagram to share his story in a bid to break down societal taboos.
“Being an influencer with a big platform I was hesitant to share such intimate details of my life but needed to know if this was an issue others were facing. I couldn’t believe the response I received from men describing similar symptoms I had suffered from,” he stated.
Cassol has been prescribed hormone creams and oral medication in a bid to combat his symptoms, and he is now on a mission to “petition more acknowledgement of male menopause.”
Cassol is now taking medication to help combat the symptoms of andropause. MEGA“Being a man, society forces you to just get on with these obstacles and feel defeated if your manhood isn’t doing what it should be doing,” he told the Daily Mail. “We need to break this stigma and get more men talking, it shouldn’t be shameful, men matter too.”
However, it seems discussions about andropause have hardly advanced since the turn of the millennium. Back in 2000, The Post published an article about the men’s medical condition.
“One of the greatest barriers that keeps men from talking about male menopause is the fear of being less than manly,” Jed Diamond, a psychotherapist and author of “The Male Menopause,” said at the time.
“Many guys would rather die than admit that their erections [aren’t what they were] or that they’ve been suffering mood swings. They want to appear invulnerable.”
Indeed, traditional ideas surrounding masculinity have left many men struggling to speak about their health issues and living in fear of challenge traditional gender roles.
Cassol (pictured with his pooch) says he was nervous to speak out about his health diagnosis. Israel Cassol InstagramLonsdale made the remark in response to a tweet about President Biden’s Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg taking time off to care for his newborn twins, which has sparked criticism from prolific podcaster Joe Rogan.
