E-Paper
Why men should pay attention to sexual and reproductive health
The article explains the role of andrology and presents Pacific OneHealth’s clinic as a coordinated pathway for assessment and care
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Erectile dysfunction, male infertility, low testosterone and urinary symptoms are often treated as private concerns. But they can sometimes signal wider health issues — making a dedicated, whole-man approach to men’s health increasingly important
Men are generally comfortable discussing blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes or heart disease. But when the conversation turns to erectile dysfunction, low sexual desire, problems with ejaculation, fertility or urinary symptoms, many prefer to remain silent.
Men’s sexual and reproductive health does not exist in isolation. These concerns can sometimes coexist with metabolic, cardiovascular, hormonal and psychological conditions. Recognising the connections can help men seek evaluation earlier rather than waiting until symptoms become persistent or disruptive.
Erectile dysfunction
Erectile dysfunction (ED) is often dismissed as stress, ageing or simply “something that happens to men”.
While psychological factors and ageing can contribute, ED may also be associated with diabetes, hypertension, obesity and abnormal cholesterol levels.
Research involving 175 Indian men undergoing coronary angiography found ED in 70% of participants, with men experiencing ED showing a higher incidence of multivessel coronary artery disease. This does not mean that every man with ED has heart disease. It does, however, underline why persistent sexual symptoms should not automatically be treated as a problem confined to the bedroom.
A proper evaluation can help identify whether vascular, hormonal, metabolic, medication-related or psychological factors may be involved.
Male Infertility: The man’s health matters too
Infertility is another area where men are often evaluated later than they should be.
The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) notes that infertility affects around 10–15% of couples and those male factors contribute in about half of cases. It also emphasises evaluation of both partners rather than treating infertility primarily as a woman’s issue.
For men, fertility assessment should therefore go beyond asking whether a sperm count is normal. Depending on the situation, evaluation may include medical history, hormones, lifestyle, previous infections or surgery, medications, sexual and ejaculatory function and other urological conditions.
Beyond the prostate: Understanding the whole man
Men’s health is often reduced to prostate-related problems, but the picture is much broader.
Low testosterone, for example, should not simply be attributed to ageing. Reduced libido, fatigue, changes in sexual function or loss of muscle strength can have several possible causes and need appropriate clinical assessment before treatment.
Similarly, urinary symptoms, prostate disorders, male infertility, sexual dysfunction and urological cancers may require different forms of specialist expertise.
This is where andrology becomes important — the medical discipline focused on male reproductive and sexual health.
Why men’s health needs a dedicated clinic
The gap in men’s health is often not the absence of treatment options. It is the tendency to approach every concern separately — a urologist for one problem, another doctor for hormones, another consultation for fertility and perhaps no consultation at all for sexual health.
Pacific OneHealth Men’s Health Clinic is designed to address this by creating a more coordinated pathway for men’s health.
Rather than treating sexual health, urinary health, fertility, prostate problems and hormonal concerns as unrelated issues, the Clinic brings these areas into a clinical framework.
Its focus includes sexual medicine, erectile dysfunction, male infertility, low testosterone, prostate and urinary disorders, men’s reproductive health and urological cancers, with access to related expertise when metabolic, cardiovascular or psychological factors also need attention.
The objective is simple: understand the whole man before treating the individual symptom.
For a man who has delayed seeking help because of embarrassment, uncertainty or the belief that the problem is “normal for his age”, a dedicated Men’s Health Clinic can also make the conversation easier.
A centre for Urology, Andrology & Uro-Oncology
The Pacific OneHealth Centre of Excellence for Urology Sciences, Andrology & Uro-Oncology provides the specialist platform for urological and men’s health concerns.
Its scope includes urology, andrology, sexual medicine, male infertility, prostate and urinary disorders, urological and genital cancers, reconstructive urology, endourology and advanced procedures.
The combination of specialist consultation, diagnostics and multidisciplinary referral is relevant in men’s health, where an isolated complaint can sometimes reveal a wider medical issue.
Why Pacific OneHealth is taking a wider view
Pacific OneHealth Hospitals is India’s specialist-led healthcare facility, bridging the healthcare “missing middle” between neighbourhood clinics and tertiary hospitals through their centres.
For men’s health, that model is useful because different symptoms may require different specialists — but the patient should not have to navigate the healthcare system as if those problems have nothing to do with one another.
A coordinated pathway can connect assessment, diagnostics, specialist treatment and follow-up while maintaining the patient at the centre.
Specialist care, closer to patients
Pacific OneHealth is building its specialist-led network across Delhi/NCR, with facilities at Lajpat Nagar, Karol Bagh and Dwarka.
The Lajpat Nagar centre brings consultations together with integrated diagnostics, imaging, emergency and critical-care services and access to multiple medical and surgical specialties.
Men need to stop waiting for a crisis
The challenge in men’s sexual and reproductive health is often the delay in seeking help.
A man who notices a persistent change in sexual function, fertility, urination, libido or reproductive health should not assume that it is an inevitable part of ageing or something he has to live with.
Not every symptom indicates a serious illness. But every persistent or troubling symptom deserves an informed conversation.
Men’s health should not begin only when something stops working.
The article is written by Prof. (Dr.) Rajeev Sood, Principal Director – Urology & Vice Chairman, Academics, Pacific OneHealth Hospitals, New Delhi.
For more information, please visit: www.pacificonehealth.com
