Suffering MALE menopause? Bosses now supply particular garments made out of ‘pure breathable materials’, a desk by the window and a YEAR of paid go away

Male NHS employees suffering from the ‘manopause’ are being offered special uniforms, bespoke desk spaces and up to a year’s paid leave from work to help them cope with the ‘hormonal change’, MailOnline can reveal.

The controversial term describes the supposed drop in sex hormones that affects men in mid-life — although experts say a significant fall is only true for a vanishingly small number with medical disorders. 

When used as a comparison to the female menopause, the term is ‘unhelpful and misleading’, according to the NHS website. 

Experts say while the menopause is caused by a sudden shift in hormones that triggers the dreaded symptoms, the decline in testosterone happens gradually and much less significantly over many years.

This means symptoms are far less likely to appear.  

Yet, earlier this week, data from Freedom of Information requests obtained by the BBC revealed as many as one in ten NHS trusts have protocols for managing the ‘manopause’ — also called the andropause. 

Now, MailOnline can reveal intriguing details of some of these initiatives. 

For instance, the NHS East Midlands Ambulance Service has produced a document for bosses entitled: ‘Andropause in the Workplace Guidance Document’.

NHS employees suffering from the ‘manopause’ are being offered special uniforms, bespoke desk-spaces and equal access to menopause support. Stock image

The guidance advises ‘all staff’ to be aware of the manopause, and encourages men to ‘ask for reasonable adjustments in the workplace’ if suffering.

The document also states that men are entitled to a special uniform made of ‘natural fibres’ which could help with ‘hot flushes/flashes and sweating’.

Another available adjustment is changing the position of a man’s desk. 

‘Positioning near a window or a door may help,’ the document reads.  Managers must also ‘ensure portable fans or heaters are available’ to ‘enable the individual to personally control the temperature surrounding them’.  

Other support listed includes flexible working and time off to attend medical appointments for the manopause, and the offer to discuss the condition with a manager. 

The document adds: ‘The male should not be placed in a position of embarrassment where they are expected to suffer in silence, but to have the support offered to be able to identify the issue [as] real.’

Staff at the trust are also offered up to a year of paid leave if they are affected by the menopause, similar to the Trust’s policy for other health conditions, according to previous reports. 

NHS East Midlands Ambulance Service isn’t alone in offering male employees andropause support.

University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust offers mid-life male staff the same ‘extra’ support it offers women experiencing the menopause, according to its website.

Testosterone levels peak in young adulthood, around age 20, but decline by about 1 per cent annually after age 30

Like with women, the ‘male menopause’ is used to describe the period in an adult man’s life when his hormone levels crash, causing a host of symptoms that can be life-changing and debilitating — from erectile dysfunction to depression, anxiety and rapid fat gain

Several other NHS trusts also include brief mentions of the ‘andropause’ in documents outlining their menopause policy, but don’t specify details of support offered.

Medics insist it is incorrect to equate the manopause and menopause.

Studies suggest that an estimated one in 50 men see significant reductions in sex hormones as they age.

But this is true for every woman.

It’s also different in terms of timescale and impact. The menopause happens over the course of just two to five years.

In contrast men experience a gradual decline in testosterone after about the age of 30, equivalent to roughly about a 1 per cent drop per year. Not all men will suffer from symptoms as a result.

The NHS warns menopause symptoms can have a ‘big impact’ on women’s lives, including on relationships, social life, family life and work. 

But the health service is less generous when it comes to describing the andropause. 

The NHS website reads: ‘This label is misleading because it suggests the symptoms are the result of a sudden drop in testosterone in middle age, similar to what occurs in the female menopause. This is not true.’

Much like hormone replacement therapy (HRT) for women, some men struggling with the drop in testosterone can be offered artificial boosts to help combat symptoms. 

This is usually for men whose plunging levels are related to a specific medical condition known as late-onset hypogonadism, meaning their testes make too little of the hormone.