Women are not alone in experiencing hormonal problems linked to aging. A little less than one in two men will also have symptoms of andropause. Often, neither he nor his doctor understand what is happening to him, a void that the documentary series seeks to fill. Andropause without taboo.
Posted at 2:23 a.m.
Updated at 9:00 a.m.
Fear of being vulnerable, embarrassment in speaking frankly about sexuality, importance of virility and need to perform, Andropause without taboo is a real guy series, which contains the most hackneyed themes of male identity construction. The difference is that it delivers on the promise in its title: it truly breaks a lot of taboos about men, their health and the image they have of themselves.
The documentary divided into five episodes is based on a solid choice, that of the strong man Hugo Girard for animation. In addition to being a sensitive and easily expressed person, he embodies a certain vision of masculinity: the one that comes with muscles and strength of character. He’s one of those guys who doesn’t want to appear weak. That’s true, but it’s also much more complex than that.
Hugo Girard embarks on an investigation into the subject of andropause for a reason that is easily guessed: on the cusp of fifty, he lacked energy and motivation. “I no longer recognized myself,” he summarizes to the camera of his friend Félix Trépanier.
This intimate bond between the two men is useful to the director. He does not let himself be fooled by “nice phrases” and pushes the strong man to reveal what he really thinks and feels. Which gives scenes of touching authenticity.
When his energy dropped significantly, did he think about andropause? “Zero and one bar,” says Hugo Girard. He had never heard of it. “I told myself that I must not be the only one,” he adds. Learning that what he was experiencing had a name and that there were solutions was a relief for him.
An educational series
Andropause without taboo is first and foremost a project with an educational dimension. With specialists, including Dre Sylvie Demers (hormonotherapy specialist seen in Lot-Less by Véronique Cloutier) and the Dr Jean Drouin (general practitioner and author of the book The couple on break), the documentary series explains what andropause is. Basically, it’s the male version of menopause, a period of transformation marked by a change in the production of sex hormones.
IMAGE FROM THE SERIES
Hugo Girard, in the company of the Dre Sylvie Demers
The difference is that the decline in testosterone, the male sex hormone, is much more gradual than that experienced by women in their 40s and 50s. A majority of men (60%) do not realize it. The other 40% may experience various symptoms, including a general drop in vitality (energy, mood, etc.), hot flashes, reduced libido and erectile problems. A measly 3% of them are treated.
Erection is an important issue for guys, the documentary acknowledges. “Perhaps if it had affected my sexual abilities, I would have been less open to talking about it,” admits Hugo Girard.
Most men think that you have to have erectile dysfunction to be in andropause. It has nothing to do with it, but that’s when they consult the most.
Hugo Girard, host of the series
Andropause without taboo does a useful job by clearly dissecting a subject that many doctors seem to know very little about. Its other great quality is to debunk many other myths about men. While the majority of them, even young people, rarely ask for help, Hugo Girard does not pay attention to the fact that he has already “consulted”. Better still, he is an example of a man capable of speaking about his emotions in a frank and eloquent manner. Those he meets can too, undermining the cliché that guys are incapable of opening up and seeing clearly within themselves.
The seemingly casual, courageous way in which they display their vulnerability could make Andropause without taboo kill two birds with one stone. In addition to clearly identifying and explaining its subject, which will undoubtedly encourage many men to make an appointment with their doctor, this direct-to-the-point documentary series will undoubtedly help many to let down their guard and put down their armor.
If the strongest man in the world is capable of opening his heart in front of a camera, why couldn’t we do it in front of the person who shares our life, our doctor or our friends?
From Friday, on Tou.tv Extra
