If Italian girls already go to gynecologist for a general check-up after menarche much less than would be appropriate, the 90 percent of males between 13 and 19 years old He has not never done a andrological control but, above all, about 25 percent of them don’t even know that an andrologist doctor exists. This is what emerges from the survey on the lifestyles of adolescents in 2024, carried out by the Adolescence Laboratory and the Iard Research Institute, in collaboration with Courier Health.
Who deals with male sexual health
Andrology is the branch of medicine that deals with male health, with particular reference to the reproductive system and the urogenital system. Basically the male counterpart of gynecology.
But while the attendance of the gynecologist is normal for women of the andrologist is among men (do you want to embarrassmentyou want for neglect) much more rarefied. Naturally, the greater complexity of the female genital system rightly plays a role in this difference, but equally such a marked difference cannot be justified.
More, since the compulsory military service was abolished with an adjoining medical examination, even that sort of mass male screeningwhich often revealed latent pathologies (first of all varicocele), there is no more.
Obviously the solution is not to restore compulsory conscription, but to spread one culture of preventionespecially among the younger ones.
When to carry out checks, the campaign
“A andrological control in adolescence – comments Chiara Polito, member of the board of directors of the Italian Society of Andrology (Sia) – a gynecological check-up is as important for boys as it is for girls. Precisely to try to fill this deficit, Sia started a project a few months ago andrological information campaign, through social media (#unminutoconlandrologoSIA) aimed at teenagers. The campaign is having a lot of success, but the surprise is that among the followers there are also many adults; a sign that information gaps on andrological health are widespread at all ages.”
Why you go to the andrologist
But what are the main reasons that push men to undergo an andrological examination? «Beyond those who have full-blown pathologies that also require surgical interventions – says Luca Boeri, andrologist at the Milan Polyclinic – those who turn to the andrologist for a check-up do so mainly for problems couple fertility you hate erectile dysfunction. Not much attention is given to prevention. Let’s just think about how many women normally do breast self-examination and how few men do testicular self-examination, which is equally important. If you add that many male pathologiessuch as the aforementioned varicocele which can lead to infertility, are often asymptomatic or minimally symptomaticit becomes clear how much the poor prevention could compromise the male sexual health and well-being».
Erectile dysfunction on the rise among young people
Prevention also plays a fundamental role for one of the disorders that andrologists encounter more and more often: la erectile dysfunction, or the inability to have or maintain an erection during sexual intercourse. According to Sia, it affects around 3 million men in Italy. In addition to age-related organic causesa very important role is played by the wrong lifestyles (obesity, sedentary lifestyle, cigarette smoking), metabolic conditions such as hypercholesterolemia, as well as taking some medicines. But they are also very relevant psychological factorsespecially in young adults, among whom the prevalence of erectile dysfunction is clearly increasing.
How to deal with the problem? «If for young adults it is more appropriate to try to intervene first of all on the psychological aspects, for adults – as Boeri explains – exist today different drugs able to handle the problem satisfactorily. Although all the formulations on the market are effective, safe and with few well-known contraindications since they still have very different pharmacological characteristics from each other – reassures the expert – it is always important for the choice rely on the opinion of a specialist which will indicate the most functional molecule for the specific needs of each patient. Today, for example, for some molecules they exist alternative formulations to the pillsuch as sublingual films or even oral sprays.”
