YALE MEDICINE – It’s important to know there are effective treatments available for sexual and reproductive problems, such as prostate issues, erectile dysfunction, male infertility, a curved penis or testosterone deficiency.
“Men are fix-it people,” says Stanton Honig, MD, director of the Male Sexual Medicine and Male Reproductive Health programs at Yale Medicine.
“Men need to know if they go to the doctor and have a serious problem, most of the time they can be cured.”
Read on for more information on symptoms that should prompt seeing a urologist.
Changes in urinary frequency or volume
You may notice use of the bathroom more frequently. The urine stream may be less powerful, and it may take longer than usual to empty the bladder.
Looking for a restroom very often during a two-hour trip? This may be a sign of an enlarging prostate treatable with medication.
“All of these observations can be important warning signs of prostate issues, which may become more common with increasing age. Prostate enlargement is observed in many men over time and can be effectively treated by a variety of approaches,” says Michael Leapman, MD, a Yale Medicine urologist.
There are two kinds of prostate issues that can occur and should be checked for:
Enlarged prostate: An enlarged or swollen prostate, also called benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), is a very common condition. It affects half of men by age 50 and 90 percent by age 80. The prostate is involved in both urinary and sexual function, and while not life-threatening, BPH can significantly impact quality of life.
In addition to causing both sexual and bathroom issues, the problem can occasionally be uncomfortable for those who have it, especially when seated because of the prostate’s location (below the bladder).
“Both BPH and erectile issues are more common as men age,” says Yale Medicine urologist Thomas Buckley, MD … read more.
