Men's Health Archive

Some men who took finasteride for urinary problems (Proscar) or balding (Propecia) have reported permanent sexual side effects such as low sex drive or ejaculation problems. It is not established for certain that the side effects are caused by the drug.

If the test result hints at cancer, your doctor will need to rule out noncancerous causes and may perform additional tests.

When you take a test for a serious medical condition, most of all you want certainty: Do you have the disease, or do you not? But the only thing that you can rely on about PSA testing for prostate cancer is that the results will be uncertain.

Unless a hernia is causing you distress or limiting your activities, you can safely delay repair.

A dull ache and a lump in the groin or scrotum—these are the typical signs of an inguinal (groin) hernia. According to an August 2012 report by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, about 40% of men will develop an inguinal hernia at some point in their lives.

Now that flu season is here you may be scheduling your annual vaccination against influenza. But this can also be a good time see if all of your shots are up to date. It's important, since immunization to disease doesn't last a lifetime.

"Pretty much everything gets weaker as we age—our joints, heart, lungs, kidneys, brain. The same thing happens to our immune system," explains Dr. Paul Sax, clinical director of the division of infectious diseases at Brigham and Women's Hospital and a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School.

The science is uncertain for now, so arm yourself with deep knowledge of the pros and cons of prostate cancer screening.

In May 2012, the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) issued its final report concerning screening for prostate cancer using the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test. After weighing the evidence, the expert panel concluded that PSA screening for prostate cancer should not be offered routinely to men—typically as part of a regular physical exam. Screening means testing a seemingly healthy person for signs of a hidden disease, like prostate cancer.

Q. I am 72 years old and in good health, but I am lactose intolerant and can't drink milk to obtain calcium. Should I take calcium supplements?

A. Osteoporosis (low bone density) is less common in men than women, although one in 15 men will have a hip or spinal fracture in his lifetime. Risk factors for osteoporosis include smoking, low body weight, sedentary lifestyle, and low testosterone levels.

Diagnosing and confirming low testosterone requires thorough lab testing and careful interpretation of the results.

Feeling less pep in your step? Less interested in sex? Befuddled by a persistent brain fog that hobbles your mood and mental performance? There are many reasons why you might feel this way. Testosterone deficiency is but one possibility.

Research in the British Journal of Urology International observed that men with larger waistlines experience urinary and sexual problems more often. The study focused on about 400 men, aged 40 to 91, diagnosed with lower urinary tract symptoms, such as frequent urination, a weak or intermittent stream, and straining to empty the bladder.

The larger the waistline, the more urinary symptoms the men reported. For example, 39% of men with waistlines over 40 inches urinated more than eight times in 24 hours, compared to 16% of
men with waistlines under
36 inches. Sexual symptoms, such as erectile dysfunction (ED) and difficulty with ejaculation, were also more common in men with the largest waists.

Traditional versus robot-assisted procedures

A diagnosis of prostate cancer that hasn't spread comes with treatment options such as watchful waiting, hormone therapy, and radiation. But if your doctor recommends prostate removal, you have one very important decision: trust your surgery to human hands or to robotic arms controlled by your surgeon. A study led by researchers at Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology found little difference in the outcomes. "Yes, the two are basically the same in outcomes," says Dr. William DeWolf, professor of surgery at Harvard Medical School and urologist-in-chief at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. "I don't see any difference between the two, nor should there be, based on technique."

Surgeries and outcomes

Researchers looked at the two most common methods of radical prostatectomy (removal of the prostate and nearby tissue, such as lymph nodes). During robot-assisted radical prostatectomy, the surgeon sits at a console and controls robotic arms that have long, thin, laparoscopic-type instruments. Small keyhole incisions are made across the abdomen, and the prostate is removed in its entirety. The surgery typically lasts about four hours.