When we talk about sexual health, the
focus is usually on women because of many peculiarities. However, sexual
health goes beyond gender, as it affects men and women alike. Indeed,
experts aver that reproductive health is an important component of men’s
overall health and well-being.
One of the things that make men who they
are is the male sex organ; its overall wellbeing cannot be
overemphasised if men must function optimally biologically, mentally,
physically and physiologically.
Physicians advise that routine visits
with a health care provider can help prevent serious illness, as they
can readily diagnose and treat the common conditions that affect men
before they spiral out of control.
The Guttmacher Report on Public Policy
laments that for much of their lives, men need a range of medical and,
in particular, educational and counseling services to protect their own
health and well-being, as well as to equip themselves to be good
partners and fathers.
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It
notes that though policy makers are beginning to focus on men’s roles
as fathers and husbands, little attention is being paid to their sexual
and reproductive health needs. “Available data illustrate that those
needs are substantial and long-term,” the report further says.
What are these health peculiarities that men should be aware of and guard against for overall well-being? Read on.
Peyronie’s disease
Also known as induratio penis plastica or
chronic inflammation of the tunica albuginea (the fibrous covering of
the testis), physicians say this disease is caused by scar tissue along
the length of the male sex organ, causing it to bend. The condition can
make sexual intercourse painful or difficult outright, they submit.
A General Practitioner, Dr. Grace Asiodu,
says while the cause of this disease is basically unknown, researchers
believe that it can develop after a trauma to the male sex organ – such
as if something hits it hard, which may lead to internal bleeding inside
the penis.
Again, she says – and this is instructive
— certain medicines can have side effects that include Peyronie’s
disease. “That is why we say it’s dangerous to indulge in
self-medication or abuse of drugs that the doctor may have prescribed
for you at one point or the other,” Asiodu warns.
She also discloses that the disease
sometimes runs in families, but that if sexual intercourse is not
affected, it may not elicit much anxiety.
She says the problem is mostly visible
when the penis is erect, as it can cause the organ to bend into an arc
shape, a situation that sometimes results in sharp pain.
In terms of overall healing of this
disease, opinion differs. While some doctors say the situation can
resolve itself in about five to 19 per cent of the cases, some patient’s
case may require surgical correction.
However, according to Dr. Culley C. Carson III of the University of North Carolina, “A full recovery isn’t guaranteed.”
Beware of fish
Do you love to swim? Actually, there’s
absolutely nothing wrong with swimming, except that you should know
ahead of it the types of fish that can be your unwanted companion while
the exercise lasts!
One fish to beware of as you swim is the
candiru — also known as the vampire fish or toothpick fish.
Experts
describe it “as a species of parasitic freshwater catfish that is
peculiar to Latin America.
The horror surrounding this small fish is that, unlike other fish that we know, it is parasitic and feeds on blood!
How this affects you as a man? Here: the
fish is so tiny that it can literally swim into your penis opening as
you swim. Once inside your manhood, it sees your urethra as a fish’s
gill and then spreads a network of umbrella-like spines, which allow it
to feed on your blood.
Experts say it could be removed through surgical intervention; but they also warn that the process could be terribly painful.
So, before you jump into that water, you may want to wear a cap on your manhood!
Too many women can kill
Many men count it a symbol of virility by
getting around with many sexual partners. Physicians are saying it’s
one sure way to a diseased life.
Asiodu says Chlamydial urethritis is caused by the bacteria Chlamydia trachomatis,
and it can cause the inflammation or blockage of the urethra. When you
consider the fact that the urethra serves as the passage for urine and
semen during sexual intercourse, you’d work hard to protect your own!
The physician adds, “Chlamydia and
gonorrhoea often occur together, and it affects people who are sexually
active and those with multiple sexual partners.”
The symptoms include difficulty in
urinating, painful urination, burning sensation during urination,
discharge from the penis, redness, swelling, itching of the opening of
the urethra at tip of the penis, swelling and tenderness of the
testicles
“The symptoms can appear similar to those
of infection with gonorrhea, but continue even after treatment for
gonorrhea,” experts at medlineplus, an online community, say.
In fact, as bad as this infection is, a
case study from India reports that it can leave the penis twisted and
swollen, making sexual intercourse absolutely impossible!
So, men who think that conquering the world amounts to fooling around sexually should have a rethink.
Vigorous sex can break you
In these days of unguarded drug use, it’s
not uncommon to see men who take aphrodisiacs at will, all in a bid to
‘surprise’ their partners. However, researchers at Ohio State University
warn that vigorous sex can break the cylindrical tubes (the corpus cavernosa) that fill with blood when you have an erection!
The scientists warn, “These tubes can
rupture and cause blood to fill your penis, leading to swelling and
permanent deformity or loss of sexual function if not surgically treated
immediately.”
