June is Men’s Health Month – a perfect time to remind everyone how important it is to get checked regularly.
Yale Medicine urologist Stanton Honig, MD, reports many patients stop going for checkups between the ages of 18 and 40. “They don’t really see their doctor unless they have a serious medical issue,” he says. “It’s when they come to us for testicular pain, erectile problems, family planning or infertility that we have the opportunity to share what’s important in terms of their general health – things like going to their primary care doctor, doing testicular self-exams, and lifestyle modification. It can be critical to help them address weight issues or assist in decreasing their smoking or drinking. We’re very passionate about people taking care of themselves,” says Honig, who is also Yale School of Medicine’s Department of Urology division chief for sexual medicine and reproductive health.
In order to better serve the community, Yale Urology will soon be joined by another health expert in fertility and sexual medicine, Katherine Rotker, MD. She will arrive at the department in August to support the New London area. She’ll also be seeing patients with male fertility issues on Yale’s West Campus.
We're here to address the whole person.
Stanton Honig, MD
While some may view their reproductive issues in terms of virility, Yale physicians can help them healthily reframe their perspectives. “We look at fertility as a medical matter, just as you would cancer or diabetes,” Honig says. In fact, new standard of care guidelines issued by the American Urological Association (AUA) emphasize the interconnection between broader health problems and fertility issues.
“And we’re here not just to treat the medical problem but to address the whole person,” Honig says. “We help them understand their feelings and emotions so they can be in a better frame of mind and can approach the issues they’re dealing with in a positive light.”