By France Poirier
Representing masculine virility, the strong man Hugo Girard dares to speak about andropause. He hosts the documentary series Andropause without taboo. This is made up of 5 30-minute episodes which were put online on November 1 on ICI TOU.TV EXTRA.
Recounting his own experience, he focuses on that of other men who are going through this important and little-known stage of life. While menopause is talked about a lot, men’s hormonal issues are often taboo.
You should know that andropause is also a hormonal imbalance. “In men, it is often linked to libido and sexual abilities. So when we have erectile dysfunction, it’s not something that makes us proud. And we don’t really want to talk about it. For things to change, we have to take the right actions and gestures to resolve the situation,” Hugo Girard explains in an interview.
Diagnostic
Why do we need to talk about it? “When I was diagnosed with andropause. I didn’t know this and was very surprised to learn it. Then it was explained to me. There were things that were wrong and I sought help. To my great surprise, men are treated for depression, even though they are in andropause. I told myself that if I hadn’t heard about it, other men must also be in my situation,” he explains.
It was while talking with other men that he realized that the majority do not know the symptoms, or even andropause. “If we don’t know about it and if we don’t talk about it, men don’t have the reflex to detect the signs. By not treating themselves, there are men who are affected more severely and this can lead them to depression,” he adds.
“We need to talk about it”
The solution is to talk about andropause and thus help men recognize and inform themselves. “To talk about it with the doctor, to take blood tests and to know the symptoms in order to be treated accordingly, it’s important,” explains the host.
It was after experiencing this situation that Hugo Girard proposed a documentary series to inform men about andropause. “I contacted a production house and from there, the rest followed. The project was born. »
Why do we talk a lot about menopause and don’t hear about andropause?
“Because I think that in humans, it’s linked to aging. In 2024, being 50 is not the same as being 50 in 1970. We pay more attention to ourselves, we eat better, we have better lifestyle habits. So at 50, we are still very active. It’s not normal to feel old when you’re not,” he explains.
Without taboo
In the series Andropause without tabooHugo Girard opens up about his own situation. It defuses prejudices that say a lot about our society’s relationship with masculinity. Andropause attacks several characteristics that define the concept of what a “real man” is: muscle mass, strength, erection capacity and energy, to name a few. By daring to talk about the symptoms that affect him, Hugo Girard defies taboos, without fearing that this will make him less of a man in the public eye.
“All the men I spoke to about it reacted. I was even told that we will have difficulty finding men who will agree to talk about their situation. You can’t talk about it if you don’t live it. There are symptoms that are not linked to andropause, but which are part of it. We will often put this down to age and fatigue. Hormonal health is important too,” he adds.
Test Adam
There is an easy test to do to help men know if they have symptoms of andropause. The Adam test is ten simple questions that allow you to determine whether you should speak to a health specialist.
Taking care of men is important, Hugo Girard explains to us. “It’s 2024. This allows us to open the discussion. The doctor said that it was often women who spoke to their doctors about their partners. They suffered from it. Andropause is associated with aging. They say that he is getting old, that he is tired, sullen, in a bad mood, that he has a loss of energy. »
The 5 episodes
1 – Le diagnostic
Hugo Girard remembers the shock he felt when discovering that he was experiencing discomfort that was linked to andropause. What are the symptoms that don’t lie? Specialists help him understand what happened to him.
2 – Changes
Determined to break the taboos surrounding andropause, Hugo Girard follows Claude, who is also experiencing symptoms. He discovers how male sexuality can be affected by falling testosterone levels.
3 – Taboos
Hugo follows Claude to the doctor: are his symptoms attributable to andropause? What solutions are available to him? Maxim Martin and Widemir Normil reveal a part of their lives.
4 – Solutions
Hormone therapy, naturopathy, physical exercise… the means are there to deal with andropause. But Hugo realizes that it is his entire way of life that he must review.
5 – The results
Hugo realizes how little known andropause is, even in the medical community. He notes from Jacques that the path to an evaluation is an obstacle course. How to change things?
