Growing up with 6 sisters (plus mom) under one roof, and now having a daughter and wife in an apartment in Manhattan (large for NYC, but small by any other measure), I can say that I have some experience being outnumbered by females and the impact in can have on maintaining our natural manly Testosterone levels. Having 7 females in the house was my Dad’s definition of estrogen poisoning. I would get pleading calls from him while at college to come home and hang out and fix the lawn mower. Poor guy, he never really had a chance
Then, in college, one of my Mensa club pre med rugby roommates would often use the term in a derogatory way to lambast the fellow ruggers that had skipped out on a night of debauchery (think ketamine, an AWOL goat and accompanying AWOL Army Special Forces Medic, naked keg tossing – for distance of course) to hang out with our girlfriends at an event that involved candlelight. It went something like “What is the matter with you? Estrogen poisoning?” I don’t think he is married yet by the way.
However, I was only recently acquainted with the concept that fatherhood itself could lower testosterone levels. Apparently, the steepest drops in testosterone are during the child’s first month. See the NY Times article. One might say that men should embrace this lower testosterone, higher estrogen levels and realize that we’re meant to be active fathers and participate in the care of our offspring. Of course this is true. However, this is the Daddy’s Blog after all, so put those estrogen-poisoning thoughts out of your head.
My suggestion – take a break from the baby from time to time and go to a rugby party at your nearest college. You will get all the juice you need there.
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