MEN in Handforth are to take part in the world's first-ever study into the male menopause, helping to resolve the mysteries of mid-life crisis.
Up to 400 patients at Wilmslow Road Medical Centre are to be chosen for the pioneering medical research, which is being carried out following major funding from the EU.
The study could shape the future of health care for men and provide vital clues on the possible use of male hormone replacement therapy (HRT).
Heading up the study, which will involve 3,200 men across Europe, is Dr Frederick Wu, senior lecturer in medicine at Manchester University. Helping him will be Handforth GP Dr John Saunders, who is currently conducting epidemiological research at the university.
Male patients at his Wilmslow Road practice, aged between 40-79, will be invited to take part in the research.
Dr Wu said: "Handforth has a relatively stable population that is fairly representative of general society.
He added that the sample study group would be selected at random. "The research study is to try to understand some of the factors which affect men's health as they grow older.
"The results will then be used to look at how we care for men in the future and what can be done to improve their health and wellbeing as they age," Dr Wu said.
"This will be done by identifying the nature and frequency of the most important symptoms of ageing in men and their relationships with hormonal changes and other risk factors.
"This will help clarify whether or not men have a hormonal syndrome, similar to the female menopause."
If the study is successful, it could lead to men undergoing the same type of hormone replacement therapy currently used on women.
But Dr Wu has warned doctors already using HRT on men to wait for the research results before recommending the controversial treatment.
He said: "We do hope to find if there is an opportunity to use hormone treatment to help with ageing problems. At the moment there is very little research to suggest that, and that is why we are doing this study.
"Some practitioners want to put men on hormones without gaining evidence to support the positive effects or risks of HRT."
Patients chosen for the study will be invited to complete a brief general health questionnaire and attend two appointments with a clinical research nurse.
Appointments will include taking blood samples and carrying out routine checks, including blood pressure, height and weight, body fat and bone density.
The checks will be repeated in five years time and the results should be correlated by 2010.
