Guys: Take the Mo Bro challenge

Here comes Movember…

You may have heard about it and I’ve sure you’ve seen the photos on Facebook. Movember has grown into a world-wide phenomenon that will soon challenge the fierce and forceful Pinktober which brings awareness to women’s breast health.

So what the heck is a Movember?!?! The word combines mustache and November. The month-long initiative challenges men, also known as Mo Bros, to grow their most creative and fanciful mustaches in order to draw attention to and raise funds for men’s health issues. For 30 days, the Mos are groomed and grown, so that they serve as a visual cue to initiate conversations about the quieter cancers such as prostate and testicular cancer. Friends and families donate money towards groups of Mo Bros who are hoping to direct much-needed funding towards male cancer research.

According to the website www.movember.com, global fundraising efforts have topped $299 million US dollars since its inception in 2003 and participation has reached 1.9 million Mo-Growers. On my list of 1,042 Facebook friends, I can think of at least 5 who have posted the photos of their handlebars, Rollie Fingers, Charlie Chaplins, Yosemite Sams and Groucho Marxes.

So, in honor of Movember 2012, let’s take this time to draw some attention to the men in our lives and the precious jewels that help us to continue procreating.

Here’s what you need to know….

The prostate is a small gland located between the bladder and penis. It secretes the protective fluid which helps make semen. During ejaculation, the prostate squeezes the semen, which contains sperm, into the urethra so that it can be expelled. The urethra flows through the prostate. While the prostate is not necessary for life, it is essential for reproduction.

There are several conditions which affect the prostate – prostatitis, which is an acute infection of the prostate; BPH or benign prostatic hypertrophy, which is enlargement of the prostate gland; and prostate cancer.

Prostatitis can be acute or chronic. Symptoms include pain with urination and/or ejaculation, increased urgency to urinate, frequent but incomplete urination, fevers and chills, pain or discomfort in the low back. Depending on the type of bacteria involved in the infection, treatment usually includes antibiotic therapy which can sometimes last for months. Since the prostate lies in front of the rectum, stool softeners are also often prescribed to help ease the pressure on an inflamed prostate.

BPH usually occurs in older men and can usually be treated with medication. Occasionally though, the enlargement is so severe that surgical reduction of the gland is required. Symptoms of BPH include difficulty with urinary stream (weak flow, dribbling, difficulty initiating urination, frequent urination), urination at night, and sometimes painful urination.

Prostate cancer is the second most common cancer, only behind non-melanoma skin cancer. In 2012, over 240,000 new cases of prostate cancer will be diagnosed in the US alone and about 28,000 men will die of prostate cancer. In fact, men are 35% more likely to develop prostate cancer than women are to develop breast cancer. Risk factors include age, family history, smoking and diets high in meat and fat. African American men carry this highest risk although it’s unclear why. Having BPH does not necessarily increase a man’s risk of developing prostate cancer. Symptoms are similar to those of BPH and prostatitis but may also include blood in urine or semen. Metastatic cancers can present with pain in the low back and groin.

The key to the successful rate of prostate cancer treatment is our early detection. Because prostate cancer tends to grow slowly and we tend to screen early, the rates of detection are high and therefore survival rates are good. Screening for prostate cancer usually begins at age 50 usually with a rectal exam and PSA. For those men with a strong family history, screening may start as early as 40. Abnormalities detected on exam or blood work may prompt your physician to order an ultrasound or biopsy of the gland itself. Treatment options can range from simply monitoring the PSA and serial imaging to chemotherapy, radiation, hormone treatment and surgical intervention.

WebMD has a great slideshow with great visuals on prostate cancer (http://www.webmd.com/prostate-cancer/ss/slideshow-prostate-cancer-overview)

The testicles are easier to find than the prostate. Most of us know where they are but exactly what do they do? They make testosterone and sperm.

Testicular cancer is much less common than prostate cancer, affecting only about 8,500 men per year (estimated for 2012) and usually affecting much younger men. The lifetime risk is of developing testicular cancer is very low and therefore so is the likelihood of dying from testicular cancer.

The most common risk factor is having had an undescended testicle, which is why we examine the testicles early in infancy and childhood and throughout a man’s life. Surgery can correct a testicle that does not migrate from the abdomen down in to the scrotum as it’s supposed to. Surgical correction does reduce the risk of developing cancer in that testicle. Other risk factors include smoking, family history, age (usually affects men ages 20-34) and race. Unlike prostate cancer, white men are five times more likely to get cancer than black men and three times more likely than Asian men.

The first symptoms of testicular cancer is usually a lump that is found incidentally, swelling or enlargement of one testicle, and heaviness or aching in the lower abdomen. Routine examinations should include feeling both testicles for irregular lumps.

Ultrasounds, blood tests and biopsies can all help diagnose testicular cancer. The treatment usually consists of surgical removal of the testicle, along with chemotherapy and / or radiation therapy.

Again, and as always, early detection is the key to improved survival rates. Knowing your body well will allow you to notice even subtle changes which should prompt quick evaluation by your trusted primary care physician. We can’t treat what we don’t know is there. So read up on testicular self exams (http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/medical/IM02157) and routine men’s screening tests (http://www.cdc.gov/family/checkup/) so that you are prepared. Get to know your family history (https://familyhistory.hhs.gov/fhh-web/home.action) so that your doctor can make screening recommendations based on your individual risk. And don’t be afraid to discuss your concerns with your doctor. That’s why we’re here. 

Go forth and Movember!

Alexis Hugelmeyer, D.O. is the wife of Michael, mother of Isabella, 5, and Lance, 2, and a family physician whose passion is hands-on manipulation for treatment and healing of any and every type of medical problem. She is administrative director of medical education and internship director at Peconic Bay Medical Center and also a private practitioner in Riverhead. A graduate of Villanova University and New York College of Osteopathic Medicine, she lives in Baiting Hollow.

Look for Dr. Mom every Saturday on Riverheadlocal.com

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