Andrology is a branch of urology dealing with the preservation of male reproductive health, as well as the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of diseases of the male sexual sphere. Today, the problem of men’s health is very acute. Daily stresses, environmental problems, bad habits, irrational nutrition, a huge number of sexual infections have their sad consequences of an increase in the number of male diseases and their negative impact on the reproductive health of men. According to statistics, in almost 50% of cases, the cause of infertility of a couple lies in the male component.
Andrology has existed as an independent medical discipline for only a few decades. The importance of an andrologist for a man’s health is comparable to the importance of a gynecologist for a woman. According to the specifics of its activity, andrology is close to such branches of medicine as urology, endocrinology, venereology, surgery, sex pathology, psychotherapy.
Often men’s problems begin in childhood. So, a childhood infection of mumps transmitted by a boy, in adulthood, can lead to a formidable complication – male infertility. Therefore, andrology takes care of men’s health at all stages of a man’s life: from the period of newborn to old age.
The male sexual system is formed by the penis, scrotum with testicles and their appendages, prostate gland, vas deferens and seminal vesicles. Together, they regulate sexual function in the male body: the production of sex hormones, the formation of sperm and its excretion, the implementation of sexual intercourse.
Among the diseases of the male genital sphere, there are malformations of the genital organs (hermaphroditism, pathology of testicular development, curvature of the penis), inflammatory diseases (balanoposthitis, urethritis, prostatitis, orchitis, epididymitis), tumor lesions (prostate diseases and testicular cancer), genital injuries. All of them, to one degree or another, lead to sexual dysfunction, impaired urination, predispose to the development of androgen deficiency syndrome, in severe cases – lead to male infertility and the impossibility of sexual life.
The scope of andrology also includes the treatment of male sexual dysfunction: impotence, premature ejaculation, decreased libido. A relatively new direction of andrology is plastic genital surgery, which deals with the elimination of cosmetic defects of the male genitals.
Problems and failures in intimate life can ruin the life of any man, destroy family well-being, deprive him of faith in himself and in his masculine fullness.
Therefore, in order to maintain their health, every man should undergo a prostate examination twice a year (which is often compared to the “second heart of a man”) and a sexual infection examination by an andrologist. Such an examination is necessary because often prostate diseases and sexual infections are erased for a long time and they can only be detected when undergoing regular diagnostics.
The possibilities of andrology at the present stage are very great. Today, almost all andrological problems are amenable to successful correction, which means that every man can be active and healthy, despite the years.