Is going to the doctor ever fun? Let’s be honest, going to the doctor’s office for ANY reason can be an anxiety-inducing experience, but even more so when dealing with something as personal as trying to get pregnant. I’ve met so many men that have put off getting their fertility checked simply because they’re nervous about what’s going to happen at that first visit. But if you’re thinking about getting your fertility checked as man, the good news is that you can relax because, for most men, getting your fertility checked is a completely non-invasive process.

We’re currently facing an interesting dichotomy in our society. While our country as a whole continues to decline in overall fitness and health, the ever-increasing mindshare of Instagram, Tinder, Bumble, and other image based social media services continues to place more and more emphasis on physical appearance for young people.

WHAT IS MEN’S HEALTH?

…or rather, what SHOULD it be? If your city is anything like mine, then I’m sure you’ve seen a multitude of billboards advertising for pop-up clinics claiming to treat conditions like low testosterone (aka hypogonadism) and erectile dysfunction. These places often have flashy advertisement, great marketing…and so-so medical care.

One of the most exciting parts of my job is the growing field of Andrology. We’ve known that testosterone (T) is important for muscle growth for years, but we’re just now learning that supplementing T may help stave off a whole host of diseases associated with T deficiency: including type 2 diabetes, erectile dysfunction, obesity, and even heart disease!

It’s no secret that, on average, men aren’t that great at taking care of themselves. I can attest to this, both as a man and as a physician. It’s sobering reality that the average life expectancy for men is ~5 years less than that of women. Men often delay going to the doctor and even when they make it, they tend to minimize their problems and instead try to ‘tough things out.’

During my second year of residency, one of my co-residents bought a ‘fixer-upper’ in downtown Indianapolis and completely renovated the basement. How she found the time I’ll never know, but what once resembled a bleak, concrete-floored chamber from the set of ‘Saw’ was transformed into a pretty impressive home theater and game room.

I recently had the chance to read Atul Gawande’s fourth book, ‘Being Mortal’. It’s a fantastic piece that explores the process of aging and dying and how it’s been distorted by modern medicine. It offers profound insight into what many people’s final months and hours really look like and asks us: “Can we do better?”

This month The New England Journal of Medicine published a fantastic article about the use of MRI in prostate cancer screening and I thought it’d be a great opportunity to talk about prostate cancer in general.