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Andrology is the most important section in medicine, since it includes several areas: urology, endocrinology, sexopathology and surgery (microsurgery, vascular and plastic surgery). Being a qualified specialist, an andrologist can provide medical assistance on issues not only of his profile, he also understands dermatology and venereology.
An andrologist diagnoses and prescribes the treatment of diseases of the sexual sphere in the representatives of the stronger sex. In other words, an andrologist is a doctor who understands the anatomical, psychosexual and endocrinological features of the male sex. Along with adult specialists, there are also pediatric andrologists involved in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases of the reproductive system of adolescents.
What does a specialist do
Andrologist is a doctor who treats pathological processes and diseases of the male genital organs. Andrology studies the problems of men’s health, its main goal is to preserve reproductive functions in men. The doctor specializes in the diagnosis, therapy, prevention of the genital organs of men and the social adaptation of patients with injuries and operations on the genitals.
Patients turn to a specialist most often with such problems: impotence, erectile dysfunction and prostate dysfunction. The problem of male infertility in the modern world is very common – an andrologist will help you find the cause of the pathology.
At the first visit to the doctor, a diagnosis of the human body will be carried out. First, the specialist collects data and compiles a medical history. In order for it to be reliable, the patient must talk about his complaints and describe the symptoms. Then the doctor will examine the genitals and feel the prostate gland through the wall of the rectum.
After examining the patient, they are sent for tests: a smear from the urethra, ultrasound diagnostics of the pelvic organs, spermogram, and others. Based on the results obtained, the andrologist makes a diagnosis and prescribes an effective treatment.
An andrologist should be contacted from the age of 12, from this age the puberty period begins in adolescents. Regular examinations by a doctor will help to avoid serious diseases of the genital area.
What organs does the doctor check and treat?
A qualified andrologist specializes in complex treatment of: ureter and urethra, kidneys, prostate, penis, urethra, testicles and appendages in the stronger sex.
The genitourinary system is most susceptible to inflammatory processes, since in the cold season a very common occurrence is hypothermia of the body. The ureter is the organ responsible for normal urination, and when it becomes inflamed, the patient feels discomfort, pain and burning. The andrologist will examine the patient and, taking into account the individual characteristics of the patient, prescribe medication.
Prostate diseases are not uncommon, it most often occurs due to a number of reasons: infections, hormonal imbalances, heredity, old age, chronic congestion (congestion).
An andrologist can examine the prostate in several ways: the first is rectally (feel with fingers through the rectum), the second is laboratory (blood test, bacteriological culture, analysis for genital infections), the third is using X-ray examination (ultrasound diagnostics of the prostate, computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging), the fourth – biopsy.
The genital organs in men are prone to many diseases, the most important thing is to start timely treatment in order to avoid negative consequences and complications.
What is the name of the diseases that the doctor treats?
An andrologist should be consulted for: prostate adenoma (prostate tissues grow, causing discomfort, pain and disrupting the function of the prostate gland), prostatitis (pathological inflammation of the prostate), varicocele (a disease manifested by varicose veins in the testicles, thereby affecting the quality sperm and can cause infertility), phimosis (a pathological phenomenon, accompanied by a narrowing of the ring from the side of the foreskin, which makes it difficult to remove the head from the penis), metabolic syndrome (the syndrome is accompanied by a whole range of pathologies that have developed due to metabolic disorders and lack production of testosterone and other hormones), menopause in men (the disease occurs and progresses as a result of a violation of the production of hormones responsible for stimulating the testicles).
Pathologies and disorders that an andrologist examines and treats:
- sexually transmitted diseases (hepatitis, HIV infection, gonorrhea, syphilis, ureaplasmosis, genital herpes, candidiasis);
- male infertility (regardless of the reasons that provoked the development of the disease);
- oncology of the penis and testicles;
- sexual dysfunction (the doctor considers the psychological and physiological component of the disease);
- lack or excess production of male hormones;
- pathologies that are treated by androgenital surgery (elimination of external and internal defects of the genitals);
- menopause (age-related aging of the body, provoking diseases of the genitourinary system, heart and blood vessels).
Only a qualified specialist will be able to determine the disease based on research and diagnostic data and prescribe prompt and effective treatment.
What symptoms should you see a doctor for?
An experienced doctor should be consulted if a man has the following symptoms: painful cutting sensations in the lower abdomen, painful syndrome in the perineum, discomfort, itching and burning when urinating, urinary incontinence or frequent urination (this may indicate cystitis or other diseases) .
You should also seek medical help for: severe pain during intercourse, the appearance of genital warts, papillomas, warts or moles in the groin area, decreased sexual activity, erectile dysfunction and ejaculation. If a man has problems with potency or there are suspicions of a diagnosis of infertility, the first thing to do is to consult an andrologist.
Often, serious chronic diseases can be hidden under the symptoms that need to be treated on time and by various methods in order to maintain men’s health.
An andrologist should be consulted if one of the problems has appeared: erectile dysfunction has arisen for no reason; if the patient wants to receive an answer to questions of interest related to contraceptive methods; if the sexual partner cannot conceive a child for a long period of time; with visible inflammatory processes in the groin area; with redness, pain, itching and burning of the genitals; with pain during urination and any foreign secretions along with urine; when modifying the shape of the scrotum; if any neoplasms have arisen, upon palpation of which, pain appears; when planning a pregnancy. An appointment with a specialist is needed upon reaching the age of 45-50 for a through diagnosis of the genital organs and the determination of their pathological changes.
A pediatric andrologist should be contacted for: unpleasant or painful neoplasms on the scrotum; undescended testicles; improperly located urinary canal; if the head of the penis has not opened in a boy under three years old; obesity as a cause of impaired hormone production; enuresis; testicular asymmetries.
Therapies
In the modern world, not all men want to go to public polyclinics to andrologists, sometimes state medical institutions cannot at all provide a patient with an andrologist’s consultation. Private clinics offer complete confidentiality and, in rare cases, the first consultation with a specialist is completely free. After the diagnosis made by the doctor, the method of treatment of the genital organs will be chosen.
There are 2 traditional methods of treating organs responsible for men’s health: the first is with drugs (depending on the diagnosis, a medicine is selected that will have the maximum effect on the focus of the disease and relieve all symptoms in a short period of time), the second is with the help of surgery (often resort to surgical interventions, patients who receive a penile prosthesis, increase, lengthen, correct penile defects, undergo penile circumcision or prostate surgery for cancers, including adenoma).
Erectile dysfunction, since this is a fairly common disease in men, has been studied to this day and treated by the following methods: the first is the introduction of drugs into the cavernous body (drugs act on the blood vessels of the penis, significantly improving erection); the second is drug therapy (drugs are taken orally and contribute to the normalization of erection); third – psychological therapy and sex treatment (andrologist must understand the psychological state of the patient and find out the cause of the dysfunction, the doctor may prescribe sex therapy with the participation of a partner); fourth – vacuum-electronic treatment (a completely painless way to positively affect an erection); fifth – surgical intervention (an operation is performed to increase the outflow of venous blood in the penis).
It is possible to choose the optimal method of treatment only after a thorough examination. The course of therapy should be comprehensive and take into account the individual characteristics of the patient.