My Husband Died after Being Treated for Andropause

Mourning the loss of a loved one is hard enough without the added complications of medical treatments gone wrong — but in the case of andropause treatment, it’s all too common for testosterone therapy to lead to serious health concerns and even death for the men receiving it. If your husband experienced this tragedy, it may be time to consult with an attorney. Here’s what you need to know.

The Problem with Testosterone Therapy

Just as women experience menopause somewhere around middle age, men experience natural decreases in hormone production as they get older. These decreases cause various natural side effects, such as decreased sex drive, which can lead medical professionals to recommend testosterone therapies to treat what is sometimes called andropause (aka “male menopause”). The problem is that treating a normal physiological function with testosterone therapy is more than unnecessary — it’s dangerous, even to the point of death. In many cases, men in their middle and later years didn’t need the therapy at all.

Testosterone Therapy and Its Risks

Unfortunately, when aging men begin undergoing testosterone therapy to treat “low testosterone,” their bodies often bear the consequences. Some of the significant health problems linked with testosterone therapy include: 

• Heart Attacks: The incidence of heart attacks in men using testosterone therapy can be as high as 30 to 40 percent.
• Strokes: Because strokes involve damage to the brain, they usually lead to permanent, irremediable injury, even for patients that survive.
• Blood Clots: Deep Venous Thrombosis (DVT) typically involves clots within the blood system of the veins of the legs.
• Pulmonary Emboli (Blood Clots in the Lung): Clots that spread to the blood vessels in the lung can cause severe injury, even to the point of being fatal.

When to Speak to an Attorney

Each of these serious conditions listed above can be damaging enough to lead to death — and if that was the case for your husband, you do have rights promised to you under the United States Constitution and the law. There is a growing body of evidence that testosterone therapies are injuring patients or increasing the risk of injuries to patients. If your husband’s situation fits the following criteria, it’s time to speak to an attorney about what to do next:

1. After a diagnosis of low testosterone (i.e., androgen deficiency or testosterone deficiency), your husband was prescribed testosterone therapy.
2. While or immediately after receiving testosterone therapy, he became sick and/or suffered significant injury and passed away.

There is undoubtedly a subpopulation of people in the world who need testosterone therapy, but men who are aging naturally are not one of them. If you experienced the tragic loss of your husband after he underwent treatment for andropause, talk to an attorney about your options.