Male Menopause, Andropause: Examination

A comprehensive clinical examination is the basis for selecting further diagnostic steps:

  • General physical examination – including blood pressure, pulse, body weight, height [current body weight versus age-related ideal weight: increase in body weight with increase in body fat percentage; decreasing muscle strength; visceral adiposity* ; determination of body mass index as well as waist-to-hip ratio]; further:
    • Inspection (observation)
      • Skin and mucous membranes [dry and brittle skin; flushing and sweating; balding forehead, diminished beard growth]
      • Abdomen (abdomen)
        • Shape of the abdomen?
        • Skin color? Skin texture?
        • Efflorescences (skin changes)?
        • Pulsations? Bowel movements?
        • Visible vessels?
        • Scars? Hernias (fractures)?
    • Inspection and palpation (palpation) of the mammae (mammary glands).
    • Palpation of peripheral pulses [evidence of arterial genesis?]
    • Palpation of abdomen (belly) and inguinal region (groin region), etc. (tenderness?, tapping pain?, release pain?, coughing pain?, guarding pain?, hernial orifices?, renal bearing tapping pain?)
    • Inspection and palpation of the genitals (penis and scrotum; assessment of pubes hair (pubic hair); assessment of penile length (between 7-10 cm when flaccid) and testicular position and size (using orchimeter)). [Decrease in testicular volume; possibly also induratio penis plastica? (Montorsi 2000 Urology)]
    • Digital rectal examination (DRU): examination of the rectum (rectum) and adjacent organs with the finger by palpation: assessment of the prostate in size, shape and consistency.
  • Cancer screening
  • If necessary, neurological examination including peripheral reflex status.
  • Health check respectively anti-aging check

Square brackets [ ] indicate possible pathological (pathological) physical findings.

* Indications of significant visceral obesity (synonyms: android obesity: male fat distribution pattern with emphasis on the abdomen; also called abdominal or central obesity or “apple type”) result from:

  • BMI (body mass index; body mass index (BMI)) > 30.
  • Waist-hip-ratio (WHR; waist-to-hip ratio (THV)) > 0.9