5 Symptoms Men Should Not Ignore

As I frequently tell my patients, male reproductive health should not be kept separate from general health. Since the harbingers of some diseases can be a separate disease on their own, focusing on what lies beneath the iceberg usually increases the success of treatments.

In this article, I will provide information about symptoms that men should not ignore, which can be harbingers of different diseases, and which can trigger serious health problems if left untreated.

1. Lump Formation in the Testicles As soon as a lump formation in the testes is noticed, one must consult urology and andrology specialists without losing time. It is known that testicular cancer is the most common type of cancer in men between the ages of 20 – 35. Since early diagnosis greatly affects the success of the treatment process, even men who do not experience any symptoms need to manually examine their testes (self-examination) at certain intervals and make sure whether any mass formation has started.

2. Testicular Pain The most sensitive body parts of men are their testes. Testicular pain, which can bring a man's world crashing down even with the slightest blow, is at the top of the symptoms men should definitely not ignore.

Testicular pain can have many different causes; for example, problems in the back and hip region, varicocele disease, prostatitis (prostate inflammation), or infections occurring in the testes (orchitis) can also start the pain problem. Rapid identification of the cause of the pain is important for preventing difficulties likely to be encountered in the future.

3. Erectile Dysfunction Erectile dysfunction, which can affect men at some point in their lives due to different reasons, falls into the class of health problems that should not be ignored if it becomes chronic.

Inability to reach sufficient penile rigidity for sexual intercourse or inability to maintain penile rigidity until the end of sexual intercourse are the most distinct signs of arterial or venous insufficiency. Erectile dysfunction, which should be evaluated as a signal of deterioration of vascular health as a result of various factors, can be one of the biggest harbingers of cardiovascular diseases. Precisely for this reason, men whose erectile dysfunction becomes chronic need to be examined by urology and andrology specialists instead of using medication on their own or trying to seek their own solutions.

4. Blood in Urine (Hematuria) Seeing blood in the urine is a symptom that creates a shock effect for men. Behind this health problem, which is thought to be caused by relatively simple reasons such as holding urine for a long time or urinary tract infection (UTI), there may also be some types of cancer, kidney diseases, tumor formations, or serious infections. Therefore, men complaining of blood in the urine need to go for a check-up and apply to experts for the treatment of the main problem causing hematuria.

5. Pain During Sexual Intercourse Pains that can occur during or after sexual intercourse should not be normalized. The fact that there may be different reasons underneath depending on the severity and frequency of the pain should not be ignored.

Since various factors such as penile fracture occurring due to strain during sexual intercourse, congenital or acquired penile curvature (Peyronie's), or irritation on the penile skin can cause pain, men should not ignore the pain symptom. Health problems that can physically make sexual intercourse impossible in the future can be prevented and treated with early awareness.