Here’s What 1,500 Men Say About Their Health. Do You Agree?
Guys sometimes get a bad rap when it comes to taking care of their health. The stereotypes have you avoiding doctors, trying to tough it out, and only asking for help when there’s no other choice.
But is this really the case? After all, you’re reading Men’s Health, so you’ve got to be more proactive than the average guy, right? To find out what men really think (and do) when it comes to their overall and sexual health, Hearst Media, the parent company of Men’s Health, surveyed 1,517 men to get a general idea of what men are doing right, what we’re doing wrong, and how you can do better taking care of yourself.
Here are the key highlights and takeaways:
75% of men say they’ve had a physical or health checkup in the past year.
Turns out, men are not so reluctant to go to the doctor after all. Along with the vast majority of guys who’ve had a physical in the past year, 64 percent of men say that they seek medical help for non-emergency issues within the first few days of noticing symptoms. That’s a far cry from the old belief that the only thing that can get men to the doctor is a broken leg.
“In my experience, more men are coming to the clinic for a wellness check including fertility, testosterone, and prostate health,” says Tolulope Bakare, MD, regional medical director at Posterity Health in McKinney, Texas. “This is possibly due to the pandemic or perhaps due to more information in the media about men’s health. There’s less stigma associated with a man who cares about his physical and mental health, again due to better conversations about it in the media.”
Unfortunately, men still appear to be somewhat doctor-phobic when it comes to sexual health.
Two in five sexually active men have experienced a sexual health problem, but only half of them have seen a medical professional about it.
In addition to the 49 percent of men who have a sexual issue and haven’t seen a doctor about it, fully one-third of all sexually active men say that they’re too embarrassed to talk about their sexual health with anyone—including their doctor.
“It’s an unfortunate reality that many men are ashamed to discuss their sexual health,” says Petar Bajic, MD, a urologist at the Center for Men’s Health at the Glickman Urological and Kidney Institute in Cleveland. “The point I emphasize to my patients and the public is that these issues are extremely common, and they should not be ashamed.”
“You wouldn’t be embarrassed by concerns with high cholesterol, so you certainly shouldn’t be embarrassed about sexual health concerns,” says Dr. Bakare, who adds that it’s important to get over that self-consciousness because sexual issues are often signs of a bigger problem. “For example,” she says, “there is data suggesting that erectile dysfunction (ED) can be predictive of a cardiovascular event in men by as soon as 6 months from diagnosis of ED.”
Dr. Bajic agrees. “Sexual dysfunction can be the first sign of a more serious issue like cardiovascular disease,” he explains. “It’s really important to get checked out, no matter what the problem is. It’s important that we continue to spread awareness and educate men about how important sexual health is to their overall health. There are so many resources available to get guys back on the right track.”
20% of men who are experiencing a sexual issue have consulted a urologist, and 35% of men say they have no idea what a urologist does.
“To be fair,” jokes Dr. Bakare, “many medical students and other medical practitioners don’t fully know what urologists do!”
Dr. Bajic spells it out for us: “Urologists are physicians and surgeons who specialize in the treatment of diseases involving the urinary tract and sexual/reproductive organs. For men with sexual dysfunction, a primary care doctor can be a great first place to start. If it’s something your primary care doctor can’t help with, they will most likely send you to a urologist. It’s OK to go straight to a urologist, but we can be harder to get in to see because there aren’t as many of us, particularly those of us who specialize in sexual dysfunction.”
You should visit a urologist for any concerns surrounding urination, urinating blood, erectile dysfunction, pain with intercourse, fertility concerns, kidney stones—and that’s just for starters. “Many of these issues, if not treated appropriately, may cause issues with your overall health,” says Dr. Bakare.
75% say they have some knowledge about low libido or the main function of the prostate. But only about half are familiar with Peyronie’s disease.
There’s definitely more awareness of common issues that men face than there used to be, but we’re still falling short in some areas. Peyronie’s disease is one of them. “Peyronie’s disease is a condition that causes penile deformities, like curvature and shortening,” says Dr. Bajic. “It can affect about 10 percent of men at some point.”
“[It] is essentially a wound-healing disorder that can be characterized by a [build up of] plaque [in your blood vessels],” says Dr. Bakare. “Typically, a man can develop a painful penile curvature at the point of the plaque. This can result in issues with erection, and sometimes pain with intercourse for their partner. And it’s not just a problem for a certain demographic to be concerned about. “Peyronie’s disease is more common in men in their 50s and 60s but really can occur at any age and should not be strictly regarded as something only older men should worry about,” says Dr. Bakare. “There are different management options, including surgery. I recommend seeing a urologist if you have any of the above symptoms.”
It’s great that Peyronie’s can be treated, but it still sounds like something we want to avoid, right? Fortunately, healthy lifestyle habits can help prevent the condition. People who smoke and those who have diabetes are more likely to develop Peyronie’s, says Dr. Bajic. “By optimizing cardiovascular health and avoiding smoking, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes,” he says, “men can optimize their erectile function and reduce the risk of this condition.”
Approximately 55% of men who have experienced an issue with sexual health said it made them feel depressed, while 54% said it made them feel less like a man.
We’ve all heard that “it happens to everyone” and “it can happen at any age,” but sexual issues still seem to hit young men harder, psychologically speaking. As Dr. Bajic notes, there are a number of reasons why this particular age range seems to suffer more from conditions like erectile dysfunction (ED).
“There’s a huge mental health component to sexual dysfunction,” he says. “Younger men are more likely to have sexual dysfunction due to mental health issues, or as a side effect of medications used to treat anxiety, depression, ADHD, and other conditions. Young men who are otherwise healthy can also be very distressed about sexual issues because it might be the first time a part of their body isn’t working like they think it should. It’s important for guys to know that men of all ages experience these issues. They are common and treatable with a very high success rate. It’s just a matter of getting in to see an expert who can help you and getting the right educational information from reliable sources.”
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