Causeless irritability, apathy, decreased performance — it turns out that men also have their own «special days». And hormones are also to blame.
Mood swings, depression, unreasonable apathy and other symptoms that are usually associated with the onset of the menstrual cycle in women also occur in men. Some believe that this is how emotional closeness between partners is manifested — the body of a loving man supposedly adjusts to the rhythm that the body of the beloved obeys.
Sounds doubtful? Of course, because our bodies are too different in terms of physiology. But does that mean that men who report these kinds of symptoms are just fooling around? Let’s figure it out.
The menstrual cycle exists to prepare the female reproductive organs for fertilization. A few days before and, in some cases, a few weeks after the start of menstruation, a woman’s body has an imbalance of hormones. Those sensations that a woman experiences at this time are called “premenstrual syndrome”, or PMS.
Men do not have menstrual pains, headaches and swelling, which are subject to cyclic patterns. But their hormonal background can also change.
In fact, “male PMS” is not a medical concept, but an attempt by amateurs to find a term that is similar in meaning to describe a special psychological state caused by hormone surges.
Men become irritable when their testosterone levels drop, not vice versa
Scottish physician Gerald Lincoln first drew attention to it and even suggested a name — «irritable man syndrome», or CRM. In 2005, the therapist Jed Diamond in the book of the same name for the first time described in detail how CRM manifests itself and what processes determine it.
“Contrary to popular belief, men become irritable when their testosterone levels drop, and not vice versa. Irritability, depression and withdrawal are the result of a lack of this hormone in the body,” explains Diamond.
Diamond advises men who may be affected by CRM to keep track of their hormonal cycles. “Each of us this period manifests itself in its own way, but we are quite able to prepare for it,” the therapist notes. The problem is that this phenomenon is not yet fully understood and studied. A lot of people just don’t care about it.»
The good news is that male and female «cycles» cannot affect each other, and the possibility of contracting symptoms from the other is nothing more than a fantasy. “Our research has shown that only women’s hormonal cycles can synchronize with each other. Manifestations of SRM cannot cause a similar reaction in another man or woman if they live together,” reassuringly Diamond.
Can the inconvenience associated with CPM be minimized? According to Diamond, the solution to this problem includes proper nutrition and exercise. Therapy may also include taking the hormone testosterone — in case its level in a man is consistently low.