Testosterone Replacement Treatment may now be officially recommended to men suffering "male menopause" in light of new findings, doctors say.

The breakthrough findings were released at the start of Britain's first ever Andropause Awareness Week, in time for a gathering of scientists and clinicians in Munich to discuss advances in knowledge and treatment, the New Zealand Herald reports.

The "male menopause" has been deemed as an excuse for men's short temper in middle age, but the condition is a real one, and more than 2 million men in andropause may benefit from TRT, the report says.

Scientists say there is no link between testosterone treatment and prostate cancer, as previously feared.

TRT, which is reportedly the most effective known medication for andropause, had been associated to prostate cancer. But the Institute of Urology at University College Hospital in London has recently disproved the link. Their research findings indicate that raising testosterone levels could in fact be beneficial to the prostate.

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"This myth that TRT was linked to prostate cancer has persisted. It arose from research in the 1940s based on very few cases. It has stopped so many men from getting testosterone treatment," said Dr. Malcolm Carruthers, one of the authors of the University College Hospital research. He added doctors still need to be more open to diagnosing the condition.

Andropause, also known as testosterone deficiency syndrome, causes extreme tiredness, depression, weight gain, brain fog, memory loss, sleep disturbance or lower sex drive that may result in erectile dysfunction. Men who suffer from this condition are predominantly aged 50 or over, but younger men are not exempt.

The research team conducted the study spanning 15 years with 1,500 patients. They are set to make announcements Monday regarding their findings, which is a cue for doctors to recommend the treatment without hesitation.

The report says andropause affects millions of men, but only 1 per cent of those are diagnosed.

"At the minute, the condition is neither recognised nor treated, despite the fact that it wrecks men's lives and results in misery on a large scale that could easily be prevented and treated," said Carruthers.

Testosterone treatment is available through the UK's National Health Service, but it is very seldom used and is not prescribed by many general practicioners, due to cancer fears.

Andropause has also been heard of in celebrity circles. Singer Robbie Williams, record producer Pete Waterman, and opera singer Ian Storey have been previously reported to have reached andropause.

The Andropause Society's chief executive, Paul Pennington, who himself has the condition, said: "It is extremely gratifying to know we can finally remove one of the obstacles that has seemingly prevented the medical profession from treating this common hormonal disturbance in men, which can wreck their lives, loves and health. Unfortunately, the views about the dangers of TRT are about 20 years out of date. The experience of clinicians has shown that rather than being dangerous, carefully regulated and monitored TRT has been shown to be remarkably safe." 

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