For the Men in Our Lives: Why Male Hormonal Change Shouldn’t Be Taboo Anymore
As women, we are finally beginning to talk openly about perimenopause.
We are naming the fatigue, the mood shifts, the weight changes, the anxiety, the cravings, the brain fog. We are learning that these experiences are not personal failures, they are biological transitions driven by hormonal and metabolic change.
And that conversation is powerful.
Now it’s time to widen it.
Because every one of us has men in our lives. Our partners. Our husbands. Our fathers. Our brothers. Our sons. Our friends. And just like women, their bodies also go through a midlife hormonal shift. It just hasn’t been given language, compassion, or visibility in the same way.
This topic shouldn’t be taboo.
Just as perimenopause is becoming a mainstream, normalized conversation, male hormonal decline often called andropause or “male perimenopause” deserves the same openness. Especially for men in their 30s, who should know this transition is coming so they can prepare for it, rather than feeling blindsided by it in their 40s and 50s.
Is There Such a Thing as Male Perimenopause?
Men do not experience a sudden reproductive shutdown the way women do, but they do experience a slow, cumulative decline in testosterone beginning around age 30–35. On average, testosterone decreases by about 1% per year. Over a decade, that adds up.
Testosterone is not just a “sex hormone.” It plays a central role in:
Blood sugar regulation and insulin sensitivity
Muscle mass and metabolic rate
Fat distribution, especially abdominal fat
Mood, motivation, and confidence
Cognitive function and focus
Stress resilience
Sleep quality
Libido and sexual function
Inflammation control
As testosterone gradually declines, the entire metabolic and hormonal system shifts. Cortisol often rises due to chronic stress. Muscle mass slowly decreases. Insulin resistance becomes more common. Fat tissue increases, and fat converts testosterone into estrogen, further altering the hormonal balance.
This is not simply “getting older.”
It is a neuroendocrine and metabolic transition.
The First Signs Men Often Notice
The early symptoms of male hormonal and metabolic decline are often subtle at first, which is why they are frequently dismissed.
Many men notice:
A quiet drop in energy even with the same sleep.
Stubborn belly fat despite eating and training the same way.
Longer recovery after workouts.
More irritability, anxiety, or emotional flatness.
Reduced motivation and drive.
Brain fog or difficulty concentrating.
Lighter, less restorative sleep.
Lower libido.
Stronger cravings for sugar and refined carbs as blood sugar becomes less stable.
A sense of “I don’t feel like myself anymore.”
Just as with perimenopause, willpower does not fix physiology. These changes are driven by shifts in testosterone, insulin sensitivity, cortisol, inflammation, and mitochondrial function.
What’s Happening Biologically
Testosterone supports dopamine signaling in the brain, which influences motivation, confidence, and focus. It supports nitric oxide production, which affects circulation and erectile function. It preserves muscle tissue, which is one of the body’s most powerful regulators of blood sugar. It also helps keep inflammation in check.
As testosterone declines:
Insulin sensitivity often worsens, making blood sugar more unstable.
Muscle mass decreases, lowering metabolic rate and glucose disposal.
Visceral fat increases, which raises inflammation and estrogen conversion.
Cortisol becomes more dominant, suppressing further testosterone production.
Sleep quality declines, which further reduces overnight testosterone synthesis.
This creates a feedback loop that affects energy, mood, weight, and hormonal balance.
How Men Can Support Themselves (Before It Becomes a Crisis)
The most powerful protection against male hormonal decline is metabolic health.
Stable blood sugar protects testosterone.
Preserved muscle protects insulin sensitivity.
Lower cortisol protects the hormonal axis.
This is where food, lifestyle, and structure matter.
Foods That Support Testosterone and Metabolic Health
Men benefit from eating in a way that stabilizes blood sugar and provides the raw materials for hormone production:
High-quality protein at every meal to preserve muscle and neurotransmitter production.
Healthy fats such as olive oil, avocado, nuts, seeds, egg yolks, and fatty fish to supply cholesterol and fatty acids for hormone synthesis.
Slow-digesting carbohydrates like root vegetables, legumes, whole grains, and fruit to prevent glucose crashes and cortisol spikes.
Mineral-rich foods for zinc (oysters, beef, pumpkin seeds), magnesium (leafy greens, nuts, cacao), selenium (Brazil nuts, seafood), and iron.
Fiber-rich vegetables to support estrogen metabolism and lower inflammation.
Lifestyle That Protects Hormones
Strength training is one of the most potent natural stimulators of testosterone and insulin sensitivity. It signals the body to preserve muscle and maintain anabolic hormone output.
Walking and daily movement lower cortisol and improve mitochondrial efficiency.
Sleep is essential. Most testosterone is produced during deep sleep, and chronic sleep deprivation alone can significantly lower levels.
Stress regulation matters more than most men realize. Chronic psychological stress suppresses the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis that controls testosterone production. Nervous system calming, time outdoors, breathwork, and realistic work-life boundaries are not luxuries, they are endocrine medicine.
When It’s Time to Talk to a Doctor
If a man experiences persistent fatigue, low mood, loss of libido, erectile changes, unexplained weight gain, loss of muscle, poor recovery, or cognitive decline, it is appropriate to seek medical evaluation.
Comprehensive testing may include:
Total and free testosterone
SHBG
Fasting insulin and glucose
A1C
Lipid profile
Vitamin D
Thyroid markers
Inflammatory markers
This is not about rushing into hormone replacement, but about understanding metabolic and hormonal terrain early and correcting insulin resistance, nutrient deficiencies, sleep disruption, and chronic stress.
How the Metabolic Balance Program Supports Men Through This Transition
Just as your Sugar Reset Method and Metabolic Balance program restore safety to a woman’s metabolism in perimenopause, the same principles profoundly support men navigating testosterone and metabolic decline.
The program:
Stabilizes blood sugar, reducing cortisol and insulin resistance that suppress testosterone.
Provides precise protein and macronutrient balance to preserve muscle and metabolic rate.
Supports liver and gut function, which regulate hormone metabolism.
Reduces inflammation that interferes with endocrine signaling.
Restores meal timing and structure that optimize insulin sensitivity.
Creates nervous system safety, which protects hormonal output.
When blood sugar is stable, cortisol falls.
When cortisol falls, testosterone can rise.
When muscle is preserved, insulin sensitivity improves.
When metabolism is supported, energy, mood, libido, and body composition shift naturally.
This is not about restriction.
It is about restoring metabolic safety so hormones can do what they were designed to do.
For the Men in Our Lives
We ask for compassion and understanding in perimenopause.
We ask to be believed.
We ask not to be dismissed as “just getting older.”
The men in our lives deserve the same.
Their hormonal transition is quieter, but no less real. And when we normalize this conversation, when we educate early, when we remove shame, when we replace silence with science, we give them the same gift women are finally receiving: understanding of their own biology.
This isn’t a weakness.
It’s a life stage.
And with the right metabolic support, it can be navigated with strength, clarity, and vitality.
For the men in our lives, this conversation matters.
To Your Health,
Sarah Seguin
NUTRITIONAL GARDENS
Certified Nutrition Practitioner
Metabolic Balance Coach
Horticulturist